Structures linked to Muslims targeted for electoral gains ahead of Assembly election, says Opposition in U.P.

Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh on Saturday (July 18, 2026) said they feared intensified targeting of structures linked to the Muslim community by the ruling dispensation for political gains ahead of the upcoming State Assembly election.

The Rampur Development Authority’s (RDA) order to demolish 38 out of 40 buildings over alleged illegal construction at the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, which is run by Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan, or the demolition drive in Sambhal district were attempts to communalise the State’s social environment ahead of the Assembly elections by singling out a community, they said.

Opposition leaders requested the Supreme Court to intervene as the custodian of the Constitution of India, entrusted to protect the fundamental rights of citizens from Executive overreach.

“This [demolition action] is a nefarious design to target structures and places that are linked to the Muslim community or people associated with the community. As the Assembly election in Uttar Pradesh approaches in the next six months, the Bharatiya Janata Party [BJP] government will intensify this onslaught against these structures under the garb of encroachment. According to all internal surveys, the BJP’s position is very weak; hence, all these attempts are aimed to polarise society on religious lines for electoral dividends. I demand the Supreme Court of India take cognisance of such a motivated demolition push as the apex court is the custodian of the Constitution, and is entrusted by the Constitution to ensure government actions adhere to the rule of law, protecting the fundamental rights of citizens from any Executive overreach,” Afzal Ansari, Lok Sabha MP from Ghazipur and senior SP leader, said.

The BJP is trying to enforce everyday communalism in the minds of the people through such targeted attempts, the Congress party said. “As the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls are round the corner, such evil actions in the name of a demolition drive on minority-related structures will escalate as the BJP has no other way to fight the polls. On the yardstick of development and employment, the government’s performance is dismal. Hence, every bid will be pushed to divide society on communal lines. The responsibility is on all institutions of the Indian republic, including the judiciary, to prevent such an attempt from becoming successful as it attacks the idea of India,” Shahnawaz Alam, national secretary of the Congress, said.