Rampur: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday met veteran party leader Azam Khan at his residence here. This marked the first meeting between the two leaders following Khan’s recent release from the Sitapur jail.
Yadav traveled from Lucknow to Bareilly airport and then proceeded to Rampur by helicopter. The chopper landed at the Maulana Jauhar University campus helipad, where Khan personally received Yadav, officials said.
Ahead of the visit, Khan had told the media on Tuesday that he would meet only Akhilesh Yadav and no one else. When asked about Rampur SP MP Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi, Khan stated that he did not know him and would not be meeting him. “There is no programme. Akhilesh Yadav will meet me, and I will meet only him,” Khan emphasized. Notably, SP MP Nadvi was not seen accompanying Yadav during his visit to Rampur.
Speculation has been rife about Azam Khan potentially joining the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). However, the senior SP leader dismissed these claims. As a founding member of the SP, Khan earlier remarked, “We have something called character. Character does not mean whether we hold a post or not; it means people love and respect us. And we are not for sale, we have proved that.”
A ten-time MLA from Rampur, Khan faces several criminal charges, including allegations of land grabbing and corruption, which he claims are politically motivated. His recent release from jail came after the Allahabad High Court granted him bail last week in the Quality Bar land encroachment case. His name was added to this case during a reinvestigation nearly five years after the FIR was initially filed.
Earlier, Yadav had vowed that all “false” cases against Khan would be withdrawn once the SP returns to power in Uttar Pradesh, stating that Khan has “finally got justice.”
Currently, the Samajwadi Party holds 37 MPs and 107 MLAs, including 34 Muslim MLAs and four Muslim MPs in the Uttar Pradesh assembly.
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https://www.freepressjournal.in/india/uttar-pradesh-sp-chief-akhilesh-yadav-meets-azam-khan-in-rampur-after-jail-release-dismisses-speculation-on-party-switch-video