Angry with Akhilesh, Azam can eat out of Samajwadi Party
Highlight
- Azam Khan contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly election
- Khan won the Rampur seat for the 10th time from behind bars in Sitapur Jail.
- Azam Khan’s wife Tazeen Fatima is a former MLA and a former Rajya Sabha member
Samajwadi Party (SP) may soon face another major setback as speculations of senior party leader Mohammad Azam Khan quitting the party and possibly forming his own party have gained momentum.
Azam Khan’s media in-charge Fasahat Khan Sanu said, “Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had rightly said that Akhilesh does not want Azam Khan to be out of jail.”
Fasahat made the remarks late Sunday night at a meeting of Khan’s supporters at the party office in Rampur.
According to sources, Azam Khan is upset that Akhilesh did not visit him in Sitapur Jail except once- where he has been lodged since February 2020.
Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party-Lohia (PSP-L) chief Shivpal Yadav’s tussle with Akhilesh and his possible change in the ruling BJP have strengthened reports of Azam Khan quitting the SP.
Azam Khan contested the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections and won the Rampur seat for the 10th time from behind bars in Sitapur Jail.
Fasahat said, “On the behest of Azam Khan, Muslims not only in Rampur but in many districts also voted for the SP. But the national president of SP did not favor Muslims. Azam Khan is in jail for more than two years. years, but the SP president visited him in jail only once. Not only this, Muslims are not being given importance in the party.”
Fasahat further said, “Now Akhilesh Yadav feels that our clothes stink.”
Interestingly, a day back SP MP Shafiqur Rehman Barak had also alleged that SP is not working for Muslims.
Samajwadi Party’s state spokesperson and national secretary Rajendra Choudhary said: “I am not aware of any such meeting or remarks. Azam Khan is with SP and SP is with him.”
Azam Khan’s wife Tazeen Fatima is a former MLA and a former Rajya Sabha member, while her son Abdullah Azam Khan has won the Suar assembly seat in Rampur.
Azam Khan has been winning from Rampur seat since 1980. He lost to Congress in 1996 itself. After winning the Rampur Lok Sabha seat in 2019, Tazeen Fatima won the Rampur seat when she vacated it.
On 22 March, Azam Khan resigned as a member of the Rampur Lok Sabha to retain his assembly seat. This was done on the same day Akhilesh quit as SP’s Azamgarh Lok Sabha member to retain his Karhal assembly seat.
Earlier, Azam Khan was out of the SP for almost a year when the party expelled him for six years in May 2009.
The expulsion was revoked in December 2010 and he rejoined the party. During the period of his expulsion, he did not form an alliance with or involve any other party.
Meanwhile, a legislator known for his closeness to Azam Khan admitted that Khan was increasingly being sidelined after Akhilesh assumed power in the party in 2017 and even Mulayam Singh Yadav The wings were removed.
The MLA said, “Azam Khan may leave the SP, though he may not join any political party for some time – at least till the Lok Sabha elections. He has every reason to feel betrayed by the party leadership.”