Mulayam

New Delhi, March 24: Mulayam Singh Yadav, a staunch opponent of women’s reservation, today demanded a quota for Muslims in state assemblies and Parliament in a bid to regain minority support before the Uttar Pradesh polls next year.

The Samajwadi Party chief raised the demand in the Lok Sabha through a special mention and said there was no other way but to reserve seats for Muslims to give the community adequate representation.

Not to lag behind, rival BSP MP Shafiqur Rahman Barq demanded the creation of a Muslim regiment in the army during a discussion on the need to uplift the socio-economic conditions of minorities in the country.

Mulayam quoted figures and said the Lok Sabha had only one member from the Muslim community from 14 states, which together send 257 members to the House.

“Muslims comprise a large share of the population but have negligible representation in the state legislatures and Parliament. This situation can only be changed through reservation. There is no other way,” he said.

Three major players in Uttar Pradesh — BSP, SP and the Congress — are competing for minority support. Of the three, the Samajwadi chief, who once used to hold sway over the community, seems to be most desperate as his political survival hinges on it.

His standing among Muslims had suffered a blow in the last Lok Sabha polls as he tied up with former chief minister Kalyan Singh, a protagonist of the Ayodhya agitation led by the BJP.

Mulayam has sought to rebuild his reputation among the community since then. In the last session, he made a strong demand for government support to Urdu newspapers.