Mulayam Singh turns untouchable as muslims keep options open

The shadow of riots looms large over east Uttar Pradesh. Muslim voters are struggling to come to grips with the killings in the other part of the state about five months ago. They appear determined to shift their allegiance from the ruling Samajwadi Party even as they don’t seem sure of just which party to back to stop the Narendra Modi juggernaut running through the region. This could well prove beneficial to Modi, whose prime ministerial bid hinges on his Bharatiya Janata Party’s performance in the state and especially this region.

Muslims may vote for the Bahujan Samaj Party or the Congress but not the SP, says Prof Mohd Talif, who teaches political science at the Inter-College in Binapara in Sarai Meer. The village, along with the adjoining Sajanpur, has been infamously named an Indian Mujahideen terror nursery since the Batla House encounter of 2008.

The residents were peeved with the Congress for not ordering an inquiry into the Batla House encounter, but the anguish with the SP over the Muzaffarnagar riots is more recent. While the BSP could have been the natural gainer, some point to another choice in Arvind Kejriwal’s Aam Aadmi Party.

“I am very impressed with Kejriwal’s views. AAP party activists came asking me to encourage youths to vote for AAP,” says Mohd Salim, who runs a small eatery on the road between Sajanpur and Sarai Meer. Every evening, SP leaders as well as cops come looking for free meals, Salim says, pointing to a personal grudge against the ruling party.

H Abrar, a daily wager, says many Muslims may vote for AAP. “People are angry with the SP. They continue to be angry with the Congress, too, for not ordering a proper inquiry into the Batla House matter. The SP did try to reach out by withdrawing terror cases against some Muslim men but we hear they are still in jail,” says Abrar.

Kejriwal’s posters compete with those of Muslim leaders and candidates of BSP and SP in the twin villages.