Lucknow, April 19 (IANS): President of the National Ulama Council Maulana Aamir Rashadi Madni on Tuesday slammed Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav for treating Muslims as vote banks.

He said it was strange that even after 457 communal riots in the last four years of the Samajwadi Party rule in Uttar Pradesh, "Mulayam-Akhilesh are positioning themselves as the biggest well wishers of Muslims".

"Mulayam Singh aur unke sahebzaade Akhilesh ke raaj mein 457 dange hue aur we phir bhi Musalmano ka maseeha bane hue hain, aur ek Gujarat dange ke baad Modi Musalmanon ke dushman ho gaye (under the rule of Mulayam Singh and his son Akhilesh, 457 riots took place and still they are Muslims' demi-God while after one riot in Gujarat Modi turned enemy of Muslims)," he said. 

He also alleged that some political parties scare the minorities by branding Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) as anti-Muslim and then use them as mere vote banks.

"These political parties are not well wishers of Muslims but ones who treat them for electoral benefits and then dump them" Madni added and said that Muslims were no longer ready to be used as vote banks. 

The Ulema Council chief also stressed upon the need to have closer, harmonious and better ties between Hindus and Muslims in the country.