Blow to cleric from party MLA,Mulayam

Raza suffered another blow on the day. Shahzil Islam,the lone MLA of Raza’s political outfit Ittehad-e-Millat Council (IMC),deserted the cleric,accusing him of blackmailing the government. Shahzil Islam won from Bhojipura seat in Bareilly on an IMC ticket in 2012. His father,former MLA Islam Sabir,who is state president of IMC,too,left Raza’s party. Shahzil Islam’s wife Ayesha Islam has been named as SP candidate for Bareilly for the Lok Sabha election.

“Even my MLA has been lured by the SP. Shahzil has taken this decision under the SP leadership’s influence. There is no chance of a patch-up any more. Without me,his wife will lose badly in the election,” Raza said.

Shahzil and his father announced their decision to leave Raza’s party in the presence of SP’s Bareilly unit president Veerpal Yadav at Bareilly on Thursday. Raza was in Lucknow at the time. “Both Shahzil and his father have left IMC and are with us. Their formal joining the SP has not been done yet,” Veerpal Yadav stated.

Raza,who was offered the post of vice-chairman of the handloom corporation on May 27,had earlier said that he will accept charge only after a committee comprising senior government officials was formed to probe the communal riots that have taken place since Akhilesh Yadav took over as CM.

He had fixed June 20 as the deadline. Raza arrived in Lucknow on Thursday and reportedly made frantic calls for an appointment with Mulayam Singh Yadav. He was denied even a telephonic conversation with the SP chief.

“I had placed this condition before my appointment and Mulayam had agreed. Since then I had a telephonic conversation with Mulayam only once. I sought an appointment but they denied. Now they are not even talking to me. From my side,all chances of reconciliation are closed. I will publicly return their post on Friday,” Raza stated.