Azamgarh:
Rahul Gandhi may have been instrumental in reviving Congress' fortunes in Uttar Pradesh, but his forthcoming visit to Azamgarh is going to be tough.
It's a district which gave the Congress a royal snub in the Lok Sabha elections.
The party barely got 31,000 votes because many young men have been arrested on charges of terror since 2008.
Azamgarhis resent the new label of
Atankgarh.
Yet, for the Congress, winning Azamgarh is crucial because Uttar Pradesh's 21 per cent Muslim vote reacts to the arrests and the sense of injustice in Azamgarh.
"I feel that Congress is one party that always thinks about minorities and works towards their development," said Mohammad Azharuddin, Member of Parliament from Moradabad.
At Azamgarh, hectic off-season electoral work is on to lay the ground for Congress general secretary's proposed visit.
"This era is being spearheaded by the efforts of Rahul Gandhi," said Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee chief Rita Bahuguna Joshi.
But an attempt to reach out to the Muslim community has already run into obstacles of the Ulema Council. Their resentment was on full show when party leader Digvijay Singh visited early this month to meet families of the terror accused.
Muslim Parties like the Ulema Council have reason to worry. The Congress, they say, is trying to hijack an issue that is at the core of their existence.
"We will strongly oppose Rahul Gandhi's visit. We will not even let his chopper land. If he is sincere, then he must do something for us first, and then visit," said Amir Rashadi Madni, founder of the Ulema Council.
With the Samajwadi Party on the back foot, there is no better time for the Congress to target the Muslim vote.
But more than the Ulema Council, the Congress has competition from the Bahujan Samaj Party that has activated its Muslim Bhaichara Committees and allocated Rs 212 crore for minorities in this year's Budget.
This will be a tough red carpet for Rahul Gandhi.