Lucknow, Oct 22 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday met Azam Khan in the Rampur district jail, drawing a strong reaction from the BJP, which alleged that the visit exposed the SP’s priorities ahead of the assembly elections.
BJP’s national general secretary Vinod Tawde claimed that the SP plans to make Khan, whom he accused of promoting lawlessness, the state’s home minister if it comes to power.
Khan was convicted along with his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, by a Rampur court last year in dual/fraudulent PAN card cases related to mismatched dates of birth and sentenced to seven years in prison.
Yadav, who arrived in Rampur by helicopter earlier in the day, accused the BJP government of pursuing a political vendetta against Khan and alleged that false cases had been lodged against him.
“No political family has faced as much injustice as Azam Khan’s family,” Yadav told the media after the one-hour-long meeting.
On whether he had discussed the Rampur Assembly seat with Khan, Yadav said he had held a lengthy conversation with Khan on all 403 seats and also discussed a list of suggestions received from the party’s alliance partners regarding the elections.
Replying to a question, Yadav said that Khan had not sought any Assembly seat but had offered suggestions, which had been noted.
When asked whom the SP would field from the Rampur Assembly constituency, Yadav declined to disclose the name, saying, “Why should we reveal that now?”
Invoking the idea of Ram Rajya, Yadav alleged that the spirit of justice and fairness associated with it is being undermined here.
“The spirit of Ram Rajya that once prevailed in a place like Rampur has been crushed. The very name of the place is Rampur, and who would know better than you how the spirit of Ram Rajya is being suppressed and destroyed here?”
“False cases do not have the strength to keep the truth imprisoned. It may take time, there may be some delay, but the truth cannot be held captive in false cases,” he said.
Yadav also accused the BJP government of undermining education and damaging the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, an institution associated with Khan.
He alleged that a conspiracy had been hatched to destroy the university, which he said was envisioned as a centre of education and an opportunity for young people to build their future.
“The dream Azam Khan had for the university, for education and for building the future of young people, will be fulfilled by Samajwadi Party workers,” Yadav said.
Accusing the BJP of having little regard for education and learning, he said the party’s policies had harmed educational institutions.
Yadav further alleged that corrupt officials had been used as instruments to implicate Khan in false cases. He claimed that some officials were gradually distancing themselves from those responsible for the alleged actions.
The former chief minister said, “We have not come to Rampur for the first time. The relationship between the Samajwadi Party and the people here is political as well as emotional.”
He said Khan and the Samajwadi Party are working towards establishing a system based on social justice.
Yadav also accused the BJP of electoral malpractice and reiterated his party’s allegations against the Election Commission in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
The SP president said defeating the BJP remained his party’s principal political objective and claimed that party workers are prepared for the challenge ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
“The Samajwadi Party’s direct objective is to defeat the BJP, and every party worker is ready for it,” he said, referring to the BJP’s electoral performance in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh.
Asked about Khan’s health, Yadav said it was better but added that the difficulties associated with being in jail remained.
Reacting to Yadav’s visit, BJP’s Uttar Pradesh in-charge Tawde claimed that the Samajwadi Party’s “dream of making Azam Khan – a mastermind behind riots –the state’s home minister would derail the state’s development and lead it towards destruction”.
“Riots and lawlessness in the state. PDA’s (Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) dream will never be fulfilled!” he said on X.
Referring to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, Tawde said, “The people of Uttar Pradesh remember how the previous Samajwadi Party government plunged western Uttar Pradesh and the entire state into an era of riots and lawlessness.”
“This dream will never be fulfilled,” Tawde added.
The SP chief had earlier visited Rampur on October 5, 2025, when Khan was out on bail for a brief period, and met him and his family at their residence. Khan subsequently travelled to Lucknow and met Yadav at the latter’s residence on November 7, 2025.
Khan was also convicted in separate hate speech cases (in 2022 and 2023), Chhajlat road-blocking case (2023), fake birth certificate case (2023), Dongarpur house vandalism case (2024), objectionable remarks against a former Rampur DM (May 2026).
Khan has challenged convictions through appeals. PTI ABN KSI
KSI
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