Lucknow, Feb 18 (Reporter) In another setback to the main opposition party Samajwadi Party (SP) ahead of the Lok Sabha polls slated this year, party's national general secretary and former MP Saleem Shervani on Sunday resigned from the post alleging neglect of the Muslims. In his resignation letter sent to SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, Shervani has stated, "I have been continuously discussing the situation of Muslims with you for some time now and I have always tried to tell you that Muslims are feeling neglected and are continuously losing their faith in the party." He has claimed that the distance between the Muslims and the party is continuously increasing and they are in search of a true 'Rahanuma' (leader). "I also tried to tell you that the party should not underestimate his support. There is a growing feeling among Muslims that no one in the secular front is ready to raise their legitimate issues," he said. The former MP has stated, "As per the tradition of the party, I had repeatedly requested you for a Rajya Sabha seat for the Muslim community (even if you do not consider my name) but there was not a single Muslim candidate among the candidates announced by the party. The way you have distributed Rajya Sabha tickets shows that you yourself do not give any importance to PDA. Due to which the question arises that how are you different from BJP?" He has said that the efforts to form a strong opposition alliance are proving futile and no one seems serious about it. "It seems that the opposition is more interested in fighting each other than fighting the wrong policies of the ruling party. Secularism has become cosmetic," he said. Shervani said that Muslims in India, specially in Uttar Pradesh, have never asked for anything other than their right to live a life with equality, dignity and security, but the party finds this demand too big. "The party has no answer to our demand. Therefore, I feel that I cannot bring any change in the condition of my community with my current position in SP," he said. He said, "In this situation, I am submitting my resignation as National General Secretary of the party. I will make a decision about my political future within the next few weeks." It may be noted that Shervani is the second leader to resign from the party post in less then a weeks time after Swami Prasad Maurya, who too resigned from the post of national general secretary. In his resignation letter Maurya alleged discrimination, but said that he will continue to strengthen the party...////...