Ambedkar Nagar, Oct 13 — Uttar Pradesh Minister, Om Prakash Rajbhar on Tuesday claimed that AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi's growing public support in the state had made Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav anxious ahead of the Assembly elections.
Speaking to IANS, Rajbhar said Owaisi had sought an alliance with the SP to contest the elections together, but Yadav had ignored his proposal and effectively sidelined him.
"Owaisi wanted to form an alliance with the Samajwadi Party so that they could contest the elections together. However, Akhilesh Yadav was ignoring him. In a way, he had sidelined Owaisi. But when Akhilesh saw huge crowds gathering at Owaisi's rallies, whether in Saharanpur, Bahraich, Kanpur or Azamgarh, he became worried. The large crowds attending Owaisi's programmes across these places have made Akhilesh ji anxious," Rajbhar claimed.
He further claimed that Owaisi's electoral interventions had affected other political parties in Bihar and West Bengal, adding that the SP leadership was concerned about the possible impact of the AIMIM chief contesting elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Rajbhar said the SP was conducting surveys to assess whether Muslim voters were shifting their support towards Owaisi and whether an alliance with the AIMIM would affect its support among backward communities.
"Now they are worried about three things. Will Muslims shift from the Samajwadi Party towards Owaisi? So, Akhilesh is conducting a survey on this. Second, if they form an alliance, will Muslims support them? Third, they fear that if they align with Muslims, people from backward classes might leave them. That's why they are conducting surveys," he said.
Rajbhar also claimed that the SP and the Congress, rather than his own political camp, would suffer if Owaisi entered into an alliance with another party.
"The Samajwadi Party and the Congress will suffer, not us, if Owaisi forms an alliance or something. Muslims give around 80 per cent of their votes to the Samajwadi Party," he said.
Meanwhile, Owaisi has intensified his criticism of the SP after the party reportedly failed to respond positively to his alliance proposal for the forthcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, even nine days after the deadline expired.
Addressing a public meeting in Azamgarh, considered an SP stronghold, Owaisi urged Muslims to end what he described as the "slavery of the Yadav clan in red cap". He alleged that generations of Muslims had supported Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav but had not received an adequate share in political leadership.
The AIMIM chief also alleged that Azamgarh had been neglected despite its long-standing support for the SP. He called on Muslims to develop independent political leadership, accusing parties of seeking their votes in the name of secularism without adequately representing the community in positions of power.