Congress MP Imran Masood Accuses SP of Neglecting Muslims, Strains INDIA Bloc Ties

Congress MP Imran Masood has publicly accused his party's ally, the Samajwadi Party (SP), of ignoring Muslim leaders, a charge that has triggered concern within the SP and highlighted the fragility of the opposition INDIA bloc ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Masood's remarks, which came in an interview with The Indian Express, are the first instance of a senior Congress leader levelling such an accusation since the formation of the INDIA bloc in July 2023. The allegation strikes at the core of the SP's traditional Muslim-Yadav vote base, which the party has sought to retain while expanding its appeal among Dalits and other backward communities.

While SP leaders publicly dismissed Masood's comments as his "personal views", senior party functionaries acknowledged 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, speaking on condition of anonymity.

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.

Masood cited the recent encounter in Sultanpur to illustrate 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.

The remarks come against a backdrop of 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.

Further escalating tensions, the 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. The SP was also reportedly irked by 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".