4 min readLucknowJul 16, 2026 05:03 PM IST
First published on: Jul 16, 2026 at 04:48 PM IST
Congress MP Imran Masood’s charge that ally Samajwadi Party (SP) ignores Muslims has triggered concern within sections of the SP, with party leaders privately acknowledging that the remarks could fuel a perception battle over the Opposition’s core minority support base ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Masood’s attack marks the first instance of a senior Congress leader publicly accusing the SP of ignoring Muslims since the INDIA bloc was formed in July 2023. The allegation assumes significance as it targets the core of the SP’s traditional Muslim-Yadav vote base.
While SP leaders publicly dismissed Masood’s comments as his “personal views”, senior party functionaries admitted that the allegation is politically uncomfortable because it comes from a prominent Muslim face in the Congress and has not been disowned by the party leadership.
“It is not the statement alone but the Congress’s backing that makes it uncomfortable,” an SP leader said. Another leader said the party was wary of allowing a narrative to take hold that Muslims were being sidelined within the SP, particularly when it has been working to retain its traditional Muslim-Yadav support base while expanding its appeal among Dalits and other backward communities.
Another SP leader maintained that Masood’s remarks would not affect the future of the INDIA bloc. “The alliance will be decided by the national leaderships of the Congress and the SP, not by individual leaders. These are Imran Masood’s personal views,” the leader said.
Speaking to The Indian Express, Masood cited the recent Sultanpur encounter to make his point. “Everyone went to visit the victim’s Yadav family, but no one went to meet Muslims. The SP cannot tolerate Muslim leaders,” he said.
Past tensions
Masood’s remarks also come amid simmering tensions between the Congress and the SP after the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. While the two parties contested the polls together and collectively won 43 of the state’s 80 seats (SP: 37; Congress: 6), differences have since surfaced over organisational expansion, local body elections, bypoll strategies, and the Congress’s push to reclaim political space in Uttar Pradesh rather than remain a junior ally.
Leaders in both parties have increasingly signalled that any alliance for the 2027 Assembly elections would have to be negotiated on fresh terms.
“We will not seek an alliance (with the SP) like beggars. If you want an alliance, hold a coordination committee meeting and finalise things. Do not leave it until the last minute,” Masood said, crediting the Congress and Leader of the Opposition Rahul Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra for the SP’s Lok Sabha tally rising from five seats in 2019 to 37 in 2024.
Recently, newly appointed AICC general secretary in-charge of Uttar Pradesh, Rajendra Pal Gautam said the Congress must be given “roughly half” of the state’s 403 Assembly seats.
What appears to have further irked the SP is Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai’s public endorsement of Masood. “The Congress is a national party and we want to strengthen it. Masood is a respected MP and a tall minority leader. Every Congress worker stands by him,” Rai said.
In recent months, the Congress has projected itself as a force to reckon with in Uttar Pradesh while keeping the possibility of an alliance with the SP open. However, the party has repeatedly emphasised that seat-sharing talks must be held with “mutual respect”.
Masood's attack marks the first instance of a senior Congress leader publicly accusing the SP of ignoring Muslims since the INDIA bloc was formed in July 2023. (File image) 
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