LUCKNOW: The Ulema Mushavrat (advisory) Board — the newly constituted body comprising clerics and scholars from both Shia and Sunni communities in UP, will call upon all politically active Muslim organisations to form a minority confederation to safeguard the interest of the community in the state. Those targeted specially for the drive are six leading outfits that have marked presence in different pockets of Uttar Pradesh.

The list includes, Muslim Majlis, Parcham Party of India, All India Muslim Forum, Momin Council and National Loktantrik Party led by the former BSP Minister Masood Ahmad and its splinter group headed by Arshad Khan, MLA from Jaunpur.

Talking to Times of India on Tuesday, founder-member of the board, Syed Kalbe Jawwad said that the board proposed to bring about unity among different outfits to consolidate them and offer them a united platform. The exercise will follow once all prominent Ulema and cleric in the state join the board, Jawwad said. “We have sent feelers and the response so far has been more than positive,” he added.

In fact, to lend greater credibility to the board, efforts will also be made to garner support from the Jamaat Ulema-i-Hind and Jamaat-i-Islami Hind, Jawwad said.

He also did not rule out the role of the board in tilting the ballot box in the coming assembly elections in UP. The board, he said, will definitely tell Muslim voters whom to vote for. We will guide them to rally around the right political party, he said without naming any particular party.

The emergence of the board is being generally perceived in the political circles here as the impact of the show of Muslim solidarity following the Denmark cartoon controversy.—By arrangement with The Times of India