Lucknow: After showing tantrums for over three months, senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has lowered his tone against party chief Akhilesh Yadav. To pacify Azam, SP chief Akhilesh has given Rajya Sabha ticket to Kapil Sibal. Sibal had pleaded Azam’s case in the Supreme Court and ensured bail for him.
Former minister and one of the founding member of SP, Azam Khan is annoyed with party chief Akhilesh as the later felt the issue of his arrest was not raised properly. He has made his anger public by accusing his own party men of letting him land into trouble. So annoyed was Azam that he even refused to meet a delegation of his own party which visited him in Jail early this month. At the same time, Azam had met estranged SP leader Shivpal Yadav and Congress leader Pramod Krishnan in jail. After languishing in jail for more than two years on the various charges including land grabbing and theft, Azam was released ten days back on the orders of the apex court. Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former minister, Azam Khan had expressed his desire that noted lawyer Kapil Sibal be sent to upper house.
According to SP leaders, Sibal’s candidature for RS has pacified Azam Khan up to some extent but still there are issues that needs to be settled. Very soon the party would be deciding the name of its candidates for the bypolls of Azamgarh and Rampur parliamentary constituencies. While the party has made it clear that Dimple Yadav, wife of SP chief Akhilesh would be the candidate from Azamgarh, it is yet to finalize the name for the Rampur seat. Rampur seat has fallen vacant after Azam Khan resigned from it in March this year. Azam Khan has won from Rampur Sadar assembly seat in the recently held election and decided to quit from parliament.
While Azam Khan wants someone from his own family to contest from Rampur parliamentary seat, SP chief has indicated to field someone else. According to party insiders, the SP chief might offer a berth Azam’s family member in the forthcoming elections of UP legislative council. However, despite all his annoyance with Akhilesh, Azam Khan has made it clear that he would remain in party and said that he cannot even think of leaving it.
