LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party ahead of the 2019 Lok Sabha elections has asked its leaders particularly those from the minority community to ''stay silent'' on giving any provocative statement in reaction to the BJP leaders and do not condemn Prime Minister Narendra Modi at all.
Samajwadi Party sources said here on Sunday that Muslim leaders have been asked to refrain from responding to the provocative remarks by the BJP and the Sangh Parivar.
The Samajwadi Party has come up with the new strategy to counter the BJP's Hindutva plank aimed at causing communal polarisation at the time of elections.
To blunt the edge of the BJP's permanent accusation of `Muslim appeasement' the party sources said the opposition party has also decided to scale down the `Iftar party' organised at the state office of the party during the month of Ramzan.
Eid this year is falling on June 16.
The Party has also conveyed its leaders to not to use the photograph of the party President Akhilesh Yadav during the holy month of Ramzan.
The district leaders of the party have been asked to use the plain picture of Akhilesh Yadav instead of that with skull cap and wearing the particular scarf for the hoardings put up for congratulatory messages on Eid.
In pursuance of the new strategy, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav has held several rounds of meeting with the party leaders and has given them the `guru mantras' to fight the politics of communal polarisation ' to be pursued by the BJP in run up to the crucial Lok Sabha elections.
A senior Samajwadi party leader told UNI here on Sunday, ''at the time when the BJP is on the back foot as there is nationwide outrage over the Unnao and Kathua gangrape incidents, the remarks from Muslim leaders against Prime Minister Narendra Modi would further lead to communal polarisation''.
To counter the BJP's Hindutva plank, the Samajwadi Party leaders have been advised not to make remarks against PM or the BJP.
The leaders from Muslim community have particularly been `advised' to refrain from responding to provocative statements by the BJP leaders.
They have been advised to work among the Muslim community at the grass root level and educate them about maintaining calm over provocative statements and actions like those from `Gaurakshak' for the cow protection.
SP sources said party president Akhilesh also had a closed-door meeting with the party members from other communities, including Dalit, Yadav and leaders of other communities asking them to make a united effort to prevent the communal polarisation and conflict on flimsy issues.