SP treated Muslims like ‘disposable glasses’: AIMIM UP president Shaukat Ali

Launching a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP), AIMIM’s Uttar Pradesh president Shaukat Ali said that the SP has so far used the Muslim community only like “disposable glasses.”

He stated in clear terms that Muslims will now fight their own political battles and that the party is preparing to contest elections in about 200 assembly constituencies in the state.

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Speaking to the media here on Saturday, Shaukat Ali indicated that AIMIM has kept open the possibility of an alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) in the upcoming assembly elections. He said there is a natural alliance between Dalits and Muslims, adding that efforts are being intensified to strengthen this new political force based on this social foundation.

He said that 134 assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh have a sizeable Muslim population, with Muslim voters ranging between 20 and 40 percent. The alliance strategy is being formulated keeping these constituencies in mind.

According to Shaukat Ali, concrete preparations are underway to contest elections in important constituencies like Loni, Muradnagar, Dhaulana, Meerut City, Meerut South, Dhaurahara, Kithore, Amroha, Dhanaura, Sambhal, Asmoli, Kath, and Kudarki. Besides, organisational activities have also been intensified in constituencies like Siddharthnagar, Gonda, Basti, Bahraich, Matera-Nanpara, and Kaisarganj.

However, sources said that efforts are underway to form a third front in the state’s politics. Under this initiative, efforts are being made to bring leaders and smaller parties, including Chandrashekhar Azad, AIMIM, Babu Singh Kushwaha, and Swami Prasad Maurya, onto a single platform.

According to sources, if these efforts are successful, a new alternative will emerge in Uttar Pradesh’s politics, strongly representing the voices of Dalits, Muslims, and other marginalised sections of society.