Lucknow, Dec 07: In a bid to dispel apprehensions gaining ground among Muslims about his new bonhomie with BJP, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav today assured the minority community about his "commitment towards Muslims" and asked them not to "get confused on this count". Under attack from Muslim scholars for the affidavit filed by the state government in the Supreme Court pertaining to the CBI chargesheet in the Rae Bareli court, Yadav tried to defend his government's stand in the matter saying it had no evidence to substantiate the charge that there was "some manipulation” in the chargesheet.
"We know there is something fishy in the whole matter. There is some manipulation but since an affidavit is part of judicial proceedings, we could not have named the people behind the manipulation as we did not have proof," he said while speaking at a meeting on the Babri Masjid issue, organised by the All India Muslim Personal Law Board here.
Yadav, however, said there was "still scope for further amendments" in the affidavit and suggestions of the Muslims could be incorporated in it.
Asking Muslims not to doubt "my sincerity, integrity and secular credentials," the Chief Minister repeatedly sought to assure the minority community of his "continued and unflinching" support to their cause.
Indicating that he had a "strategic fight" against the communal forces in which he had to follow the policy of "blow hot and blow cold to wipe them out", he said, "In such a move, sometimes we have to take two steps backwards and then several steps forward."
"Communal forces were looking for an opportunity to foment violence in the state to hog the limelight as part of their game plan. But, we dealt with the recent VHP programme at Ayodhya in such a way that the outfit could not get a handle to beat with," Yadav said.
"Such forces tried to incite communal violence at several places in the state and for them the temple issue is a road to power," he said.
Yadav urged the Muslims not to be "confused" by such rumours saying, "communal forces have gained owing to this confusion”.
Claiming to be the only saviour of the minority community, he asked the Muslims to differentiate between "real and the fake friends".
The Chief Minister said the temple issue would not have been there had the idols of the Ram Lala not installed at the disputed place on the night of December 6, 1992 soon after the demolition of the Babri Masjid. Bureau Report