Responding to the conviction of senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan and the subsequent disqualification from the State Assembly, party president Akhilesh Yadav has said, the popular leader became an eyesore for the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) government because he was “a staunch opponent of communal forces and worked to safeguard secularism and socialism.”
The 10-time beleaguered Rampur MLA was disqualified from State Assembly after he was convicted for three years by a Rampur court in a hate speech case.
On Monday, in a veiled tweet, without naming Mr. Khan and the BJP leaders who have indulged in alleged cases of hate speech, Mr. Yadav said, “Partiality is the biggest injustice.” He went on to say that to punish one on trumped-up charges and to exonerate others, is unfair.
In a statement issued by the party, Mr. Yadav said, Mr. Khan stood against the politics of hate and his sharp responses in the legislature made the BJP government uncomfortable. “That is why they plotted against him by mounting a bevy of false cases,” he added.
Instead of praising Mr. Khan’s work in the field of education where he established a high-level university, the government seemed hell-bent on destroying Mohammad Ali Jauhar University which is meant to provide quality education to the youth of the region, he said.
The former Chief Minister said, “The BJP comes first in destroying the social fabric, and the attempt to sideline Mr. Khan will cost the ruling party dearly.” He said hate had no space in politics and the electorate would not accept the immoral behaviour of the BJP.
He reminded how Mr. Khan excellently managed the Mahakumbh Mela in 2013 when he was the Urban Development Minister in Mr. Yadav’s cabinet. “He was praised by saints and was invited by Harvard University to give a presentation on the subject.”
Meanwhile, problems of Mr. Khan are refusing to die down as on Saturday, a local court in Rampur issued orders to officials to take voice samples of the senior leader in connection with a 2007 case wherein he allegedly made objectionable comments on the then Chief Minister Mayawati. Mr. Khan was accused of making indecent comments during the public meeting ahead of the Assembly polls.
Interestingly, the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) Supremo came out in support of Mr. Khan when he was granted bail by the Allahabad High Court earlier this year, and subsequently, the party didn’t field a candidate in the Rampur Lok Sabha bypoll.
