Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has broken his silence on the issue of Mohammad Azam Khan, saying the party is with the jailed leader and MLA from Rampur and will make efforts for his early release on bail.
The response of Akhilesh Yadav has come two weeks after the Muslim leaders of the SP had attacked Akhilesh Yadav for doing nothing to help Azam Khan in his hour of crisis.
Akhilesh Yadav said here on Sunday that the party was aware of its obligations and duties and would extend all possible legal help to the Rampur MLA Azam Khan.
Azam Khan, the Muslim face of the SP, is in jail for the last 26 months.
Akhilesh Yadav had gone to Gosaiganj on Sultanpur road to meet the family members of woman Sub-Inspector Rashmi Yadav, who had committed suicide.
Akhilesh Yadav alleged that there was political pressure on the police department and policemen were being used politically and with their help the government was hiding its failures on law and order.
On Sunday, Azam Khan refused to meet a delegation of the Samajwadi Party led by its MLA Ravidas Mehrotra in Sitapur jail. The SP delegation had gone to meet Azam Khan in the jail. The jailer however informed the SP leaders that Azam Khan was not feeling well and was not willing to meet their delegation.
Ravidas Mehrotra however alleged that the jail administration was working under the pressure of the Bharatiya Janata Party led Yogi Adityanath government and the jailer had not allowed them to meet Azam Khan.
Akhilesh Yadav, when asked about the delegation, feigned ignorance saying, “I have no information that a delegation led by Ravidas Mehrotra had gone to Sitapur to meet Azam Khan in district jail.”
Sources in SP however said the delegation was authorised by party president Akhilesh Yadav to visit Azam Khan in Sitapur district jail.
Akhilesh Yadav broke his silence over the continued detention of Azam Khan for the last 26 months, two weeks after Fasahat Khan, an aide of Azam Khan, levelled serious charges against the SP chief, accusing him of ignoring the Muslim community.
Fasahat Khan had gone to the extent of praising Yogi Adityanath, saying, “The UP chief minister was right that Akhilesh Yadav doesn’t want Azam Khan to be out of jail. We made you and Mulayam Yadav chief minister but you didn’t make Azam Khan the leader of opposition. You only went once to meet him in jail in the last two years.”
The SP chief is under tremendous pressure to lead a campaign from the front for the release of Azam Khan from jail. The pressure is evident from the fact that Shivpal Singh Yadav, the estranged uncle of Akhilesh Yadav, had earlier this week met Azam Khan in jail.
Accusing Akhilesh Yadav of ignoring Azam Khan, Shivpal had also accused the SP founder and his elder brother Mulayam Singh Yadav of not leading a campaign for the release of Azam Khan.
Shivpal Yadav had said that Mulayam Singh Yadav should have taken up the matter of Azam Khan with Prime Minister Narendra Modi.Jayant Chaudhary, president of Rashtriya Lok Dal, an ally of the Samajwadi Party, meeting the family of Azam Khan at Rampur, recently has also added to the discomfiture of Akhilesh Yadav. (Agencies)
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