Lucknow: Prominent Barelvi aalim and chairman of Ittehad-e-Millat Council Tauqueer Raza Khan has been appointed as an dvisor in the handloom department with the status of a minister of state, according to official sources here.
Khan, however, said he accepted the offer with some consitions.
"I want a thorough probe into all communal riots that have taken place in the state since the SP government assumed power. The guilty should be punished but innocent people should be let off," he said.
Khan is considered influential among the Barelvi sect of Muslims. Sources close to Khan said he had also demanded five Lok Sabha seats for his outfit.
The move is seen as an apparent move to woo Muslims and strengthen the Samajwadi Party's position in the central UP districts of Bareilly and Moradabad.
Samajwadi Party sources said the party did not have the backing of any prominent Barelvi cleric in the region, and Khan's appointment will go a long way in strengthening its position in the belt in the forthcoming Lok Sabha polls.
BJP and BSP slammed Khan's appointment saying it was nothing but an attempt to garner support of the Muslim community.
BJP leaders asked Governor B L Joshi on Wednesday to cancel the appointment.
BSP leader Munkad Ali said Muslims would not support SP in the next general elections as the government had failed to ensure their safety.
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