The Uttar Pradesh Congress in an attempt to reach out to Muslims ahead of the state Assembly elections has started ruffling feathers and paving the way for polarization of votes.

The state Congress has been distributing a 16-point ‘Sankalp Patra’ (manifesto) with promises to the community if the party comes to power in the state.

However, the Congress move to distribute the Sankalp Patra outside the mosques in all the Assembly constituencies in the state, has evoked a strong reaction from the BJP which has accused the party of minority appeasement.

Taking a dig at the Congress for appeasing the community by approaching it outside 8,432 mosques during Friday prayers, BJP spokesman Om Prakash Singh said, “From protesting against Ram temple to shedding tears for terrorists, Congress has always been doing the politics of appeasement. Now the Congress has set out on a mission to distribute its Sankalp Patra outside mosques in UP.”

He said that this exercise showcased the Congress desperation to regain lost ground in Uttar Pradesh. “But the party will only sink further with such tactics,” he added

The UPCC minority cell chairman Shahnawaz Alam said that the party has been distributing the ‘Sankalp Patra’ to draw the attention of the people in front of main mosques in all the Assembly constituencies.

The Sankalp Patra consists of issues connected with the minority community. There is a feeling in the Congress that the party would be able to connect with a larger number of people by approaching them outside the mosques every Friday.”

Some of the important features mentioned in the manifesto include a promise to open tanneries shut down during the Samajwadi Party rule, a judicial investigation into the riots that took place during the Akhilesh Yadav’s regime and also hostels for Muslim students.

Congress has also promised to withdraw the cases slapped on members of the minority communities during the anti-CAA-NRC agitation in the state.

The UPCC has also brought out a booklet targeting the BJP, BSP and SP alike for pushing the state towards decline.

The points of the Sankalp Patra are likely to be included in the main manifesto being drafted by former Union minister Salman Khurshid.