BJP, RJD respond as SP neta asks EC to ‘ban’ removing burqa of Muslim women voters

New Delhi: In the final hours before the state Assembly by-elections on November 20, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) Uttar Pradesh chief Shyam Lal Pal of communalising and tainting the electoral atmosphere with a letter he sent to the Election Commission (EC) about Muslim women voters.

BJP called it a fresh attempt to polarise the minority community and said that their game plan stands exposed now while RJD sought to put the ball in the PM’s court.

Shyam Lal Pal, the SP UP chief in his letter to the Chief Electoral Officer (CEO) on Tuesday, urged that the poll panel should issue directions to its officers and police personnel that they won’t remove Muslim women's burqas for identity verification during voting.

The issue triggered reactions from political leaders.

BJP's Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi stated that this was merely a move to divide the community on religious lines.

"This is what you will hear when fake voters and pseudo secular voices will be exposed," he remarked.

Meanwhile, RJD MP Manoj Jha chose to skirt direct answers to the controversial letter and said that it was incumbent on the Prime Minister to take a call.

"It is happening in every part of the country. A lot depends on PM Modi as to how he wants to build this country. It is sad to see such differentiation taking place. As a PM of our country, he should treat everyone equally," Jha said.

Pal's letter, addressed to the Election Commission, demands that a directive be issued to Returning Officers, District Magistrates, and law enforcement officers, emphasising that 'no police official have the authority to verify voter IDs of burqa-clad women'.

The SP leader highlighted a worrying incident from the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, where Muslim women voters, particularly those supporting SP, were allegedly forced to remove their veils by police officers. This, Pal claims, instilled fear among voters, discouraging many from casting their ballots and potentially affecting voter turnout.

"Many SP supporters, especially Muslim women, left polling stations without voting due to the discomfort and intimidation they faced," he wrote.

The letter comes ahead of the November 20 by-elections, when nine seats of Uttar Pradesh including Meerapur, Kundarki, and Ghaziabad will go to the polls.

With inputs from IANS