Author: Times News Network
Publication: The Times of India
Date: July 27, 2006
With the upcoming polls in UP in mind, Samajwadi Party on Wednesday fired fresh salvos against Congress in and outside Parliament.
Alleging victimisation of Muslims in the wake of the Mumbai blasts, SP brought proceedings in Rajya Sabha to a halt by coming out in support of the outlawed SIMI, in defiance of the steadily piling evidence against the hardline outfit.
As SP engaged BJP on the issue, Congress found itself squeezed out of the frame in what was seen as illustrative of the constraints that a centrist formation typically faces in a polarised scenario. Outside the House, SP roped in Gandhian Nirmala Deshpande as it petitioned President Kalam against the 'targeting of the Muslim population by police' - a scantily disguised attack on Congress. The solidarity with SIMI and the support for Muslims at the receiving end of the alleged persecution come amid pre-poll manoeuvres in UP where Mulayam Singh Yadav's prospect of retaining power hinge on whether he'll be able to hold on to his Muslim votes in the face of a spirited challenge from BSP.
Though not quite in the fray, Congress has been trying get its own back at Mulayam by painting him in 'soft saffron' hue. It was not long back that it latched on to chief minister's meeting with the RSS chief to buttress the charge of the loss of Mulayam's secular ardour. The death of six Muslims in police firing during the Aligarh riots had also come in handy.
All that appeared irrelevant in the Rajya Sabha on Wednesday when the old socialist warhorse, Janeshwar Mishra, displaying uncharacteristic aggression, made a bold pitch for SIMI. This led to a skirmish with BJP and suspension of the proceedings of the House. Some of his remarks were so controversial that they had to be expunged by deputy chairman K Rahman Khan.
Even the statement of a BJP member that Mishra was liable for prosecution for his support to SIMI failed to deter the veteran socialist leader. The rest of the SP contingent went a step farther, shouting slogans in favour of the banned fundamentalist outfit and equating it with RSS. BJP members retaliated by shouting slogans in favour of RSS. All this while, Congress members had no option but to look on.