The Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) fraternity Saturday said it will protest the visit of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav's visit to the city Monday over the government's failure in controlling the Muzaffarnagar riots.
"Black flags will be shown and a protest note given to Yadav when he visits Aligarh Feb 24," Jasim Mohammed, secretary of the Millat Bedari Muhim Committee, told IANS.
Yadav is scheduled to attend a conference organised by former AMU students to demand minority status for the university.
"Teachers of AMU have decided to boycott and oppose the entry of Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav into the campus, in the backdrop of the role of his government during and after the Muzaffarnagar communal violence," said a statement from the AMU teachers' association.
"After (the government's) complete failure in controlling communal riots in Muzaffarnagar, suddenly Samajwadi supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav has decided to take up the minority status issue of the AMU just for garnering support in the elections," said Razaullah Khan, a professor.
"But his political conspiracy to misuse the Muslim vote bank will not succeed this time," he said.
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He said the government not only failed in maintaining peace in Muzaffarnagar but also engaged itself in "shameless celebrations" at Saifai despite the death of 40 children in relief camps.
Jasim Mohammed, also editor of The Aligarh Movement magazine, said the Samajwadi Party opposed the Anti Communal Violence Bill in parliament.
"Is he really serious on the minority status of AMU? Why did he not raise it in parliament?" he asked.
He said Yadav was just "emotionally blackmailing" Muslims.