By TCN Special Corespondent,
Lucknow: The emergence of fire brand leader Azam Khan in and his growing clout over Samajwadi Party (SP) has left other Muslim leaders of the UP-based political party sulking. Senior party leader and MP (Rajya Sabha), Rasheed Masood, has opened a front against Khan terming him as an egoist.
“Azam Khan is an egoist person and does not like progress of other people. There is not a single Muslim leader worth his name who is really at good terms with him,” said Masood who has also been a former union minister. He, however, clarified he has no objection over the re-entry of Khan in SP as it is the decision of the party leadership.
Lashing out at Azam Khan, the senior leader from Saharanpur stated that Azam Khan’s pro-Muslim image is just a farce. “Azam does not like learned muslims and also those who are well to do among the community. Muslim politicians and maulvis are also on his hit list so he cannot be said to be a pro-muslim leader,” said Masood.
The acrimony has reached such a stage that Masood even did not attend the party’s convention at Gorakhpur. Azam Khan on the other hand hogged the limelight at the convention with SP supremo Mulayam giving him clean chit over the case of sedition lodged against him at Badaun following his controversial remarks on Kashmir. Khan too minced no words in showering praise on Mulayam and Akhilesh. A master of oratory, Khan also utilised the Gorakhpur stage for giving message to the Muslim leaders of the party. “Azam Khan is the result of 40 years of hard work and honesty, no one can raise finger over my credentials,” he said.
However, Masood remains opposed to his utterances claiming that there are things which have been done in past 40 years to make Azam Khan.
“The only thing is that, he can never be friend with anyone. I was expelled once from the party only because of him. He even fielded candidate against my nephew in Saharanpur during assembly elections but lost badly,” he said.
Responding to a query over the ongoing war of words reaching the top leadership, Masood claimed that Mulayam is aware of things. “Mulayam understands me also very well and rest is politics,” he said.
In a bid to keep its Muslim vote bank intact which had eroded due to Mulayam’s bonhomie with estranged BJP leader Kalyan Singh, the SP is banking desperately on Azam Khan for Muslims votes. In the 2007 assembly elections, the party had 21 Muslim MLAs and hopes to better the tally.