Need to improve living standards of backward Muslims: Mulayam Singh Yadav

Jalaun: SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav said there was need to improve the living standards of backward Muslims and promised to give them reservation facility like Dalits if his party came to power at the Centre.

At an election rally on Saturday, he said participation of Muslims in craftsmanship and other technical works was maximum, but despite this they were lagging far behind in the mainstream of development.

He said that for the progress of the country there was need to improve their living standards.

Mulayam said that if SP formed the government at the Centre, poor and most backward Muslims would be given reservation facility like Dalits and recommendations of Sachar committee would be implemented fully.

He alleged that both Congress and BJP were anti-Muslim and did not make concrete efforts for development of Muslims during their rule.

Mulayam said that alliance governments had been coming to the power during the last 20 years and even today no government would be formed at the Centre without SP's support.

Attacking BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, he said, "There are only 26 seats in Modi's Gujarat, whereas UP has 80 seats even then they want to compare them with us.

He is dreaming of becoming the PM." He said if SP formed the government at the Centre, several welfare schemes would be launched for journalists and lawyers and education would be imparted free of cost.