SP's Kasim Raeen resigns citing inaction by Akhilesh Yadav against treatment of Muslims in UP

File Photo

New Delhi: Samajwadi Party leader Kasim Raeen on Thursday resigned from the party accusing party chief Akhilesh Yadav of inaction against rising atrocities against Muslims in Uttar Pradesh.

In a resignation letter released by news agency ANI, Raeen cited inaction by the party chief on the atrocious behaviour that the Muslim community is facing in the state.

While writing a letter to party leadership, Raeen flagged the guarded silence by Akhilesh Yadav and also quoted several instances to back his resignation.

In the letter, Raeen said that Azam Khan who, he claimed, was sent to jail along with his family, while Kairana MLA Nahid Hasan had been languishing in jail and Shahzil Islam, SP MLA from Bhojipura assembly segment in Bareilly district, booked for hate speech and his petrol pump was demolished.

The resignation comes amid reports of growing dissent among Muslim members of the Samajwadi Party, which enjoys a decent vote share in the community.

Earlier,  Samajwadi MP from Sambhal, Shafiqur Rehman Barq had also expressed dissatisfaction about his party’s silence regarding the issues of Muslims.

Interestingly, a Muslim cleric Maulana Shahabuddin Rizvi earlier asked Muslims to drop the anti-BJP tag and consider supporting the saffron party while accusing SP of abhorring and abandoning Muslims.