'Muslim Population Increased, Your Rule Will Come To End': FIR Against Samajwadi Party MLA For Promoting Religious Enmity

A First Information Report (FIR) has been registered against Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Mehboob Ali and Bijnor president of the party, Shaikh Zakir Hussain at Kotwali City Police Station, ANI reported.

The FIR alleges that the MLA made a statement "promoting enmity and hatred between Hindus and Muslims on the basis of religion" by mentioning the rising Muslim population.

He suggested that the rule of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and Hindus will come to an end as the population of Muslims has increased and mentioned that the Mughals ruled for 850 years.

"We will come to power... Those who are burning the country must note that the people have woken up. They gave a reply in Parliament (polls). And in the coming days, in 2027, you will surely go and we will come," he said.

In the 2024 Lok Sabha election, the SP emerged as the third-largest party in the country. The mention of 2027 refers to the scheduled Uttar Pradesh (UP) elections, where SP might want to dethrone the BJP.

BJP took a strong note of these remarks as Subrat Pathak, former MP and party general secretary in UP, who lost to SP national president Akhilesh Yadav in Kannauj questioned the SP's intentions.

"Is this why Akhilesh Yadav is busy dividing Hindus? So that a particular community's (Muslims) wish is fulfilled?" Pathak was quoted as saying by NDTV as he praised UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

However, the SP distanced itself from Ali's remarks as its leader Sunil Sajan said the party does not believe that the BJP will be defeated because the Muslim population has increased.

He claimed that increased inflation, unemployment, corruption, and the politics of hate would become the loss for the BJP's loss, and 'a large population wants to ensure the BJP's defeat,' not just Muslims.