By Faisal Fareed, TwoCircles.net,
Etah: The Samajwadi Party (SP) supreme Mulayam Singh Yadav showered praises on Muslims as his biggest ally during his first election rally at Ramleela Ground in Etah district on Wednesday.
Etah, is the parliamentary constituency of former BJP leader Kalyan Singh and was strategically chosen for the rally. The district has a good concentration of Yadavs, which ensured a good turnout at the rally, besides the party had intensions of appeasing the Muslims by conveying a positive message to them.
In the 2009 Lok Sabha elections Mulayam and Kalyan had shared stages here. Etah, the parliamentary constituency of former BJP leader Kalyan Singh has four seats while its adjoining Kanshiram Nagar district formed in 2008 has three seats. In 2007 elections, SP and BJP won two each while BSP won three. “We choose Etah for our rally as it is our stronghold and people love us,” said SP leader Ramgopal Yadav.
Mulayam Singh Yadav addressing party’s first election campaign rally in Etah on Wednesday
“It has been pointed out in the Ranganath Mishra Commission and Sachar Committee reports that the Muslim conditions are worst than that of the Dalits. They should be given reservation and other benefits for their empowerment. I assure to do this after assuming power. We have recruited up to 15 percent Muslims in to police during our regime,” said Mulayam.
The SP chieftain also lashed out at Chief Minister Mayawati for being corrupt with a livelihood expense of at least two crore rupees on a daily basis. “Atrocities are on the rise in the state. Crimes against women are on a rise and we should change this government. It is the first time we are contesting elections for forming the government,” said Mulayam. He then accused the Congress government for keeping silence over the corrupt acts of Mayawati stating the inefficiency of the central agencies against her.
Azam Khan addressing party’s first election campaign rally in Etah on Wednesday
Before this, Azam Khan of SP was at his oratory best firing salvos at Mayawati and Rahul Gandhi. “Rahul should clarify his relation with the Prime Ministers of India; when idols were kept inside the Babri Masjid in 1949, when the locks of the Masjid were opened to Hindus in 1989, and when it was demolished in 1992. At first he is obliged to answer these questions then only we can think about him,” said Azam Khan.
He termed the attempts to partition Uttar Pradesh [UP] as a ploy by RSS, to divide the Muslims so that they won’t anymore have a commanding strength. He criticized Rahul and Congress leaders over the recent incident of beating up SP workers in Phoolpur [Allahabad] during Rahul Gandhi’s rally. Azam also exhorted the people to take lessons from Egypt and Libya for starting a revolution so that the corrupt leaders and their ill-gotten wealth are blown away in the agitation.