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New Delhi, October 31 (IANS) Senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan has rejected the demand for announcing a Muslim Deputy Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh, calling it a symbolic, constitutionally meaningless exercise.
In a candid interview with IANS, the veteran politician argued that the post of Deputy CM carries no real authority and hence does not serve real political empowerment for minorities.
Responding to a question on whether SP chief Akhilesh Yadav should promise a Muslim deputy CM before the next UP assembly elections in 2027, Khan said the Constitution does not recognize such a post; This is merely symbolic.
“In UP too, there are two deputy CMs (Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak), but they are powerless; no one listens to them. Unless the Constitution provides for it, the post is meaningless,” he said.
The comments come at a time when Muslim representation in the India Bloc and regional parties is under increasing scrutiny.
Khan stressed that political empowerment should be rooted in structure and legislation, and not in a symbolic proposal. He reiterated his long-standing position that representation should be meaningful, based on policy and authority, not formal positions.
When asked about allegations that Rampur MP Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi cheated on multiple women and married multiple times, Khan responded with characteristic sarcasm.
“Some people can’t handle even one; others have to wait for several; it’s fate. A man once told me that his 47th wife had recently died. When he was asked how, he said, ‘Every time I get married, the wife dies within three days.’ Another said, ‘I’m not that lucky, one is enough to bother me.’ So, everyone has their own destiny and way of life, who are we to judge?” He declined to comment directly on the allegations against Nadvi.
Given the sensitivity of the issue and the ongoing debate on personal laws and gender rights, the comment is likely to draw reactions in political circles.
While Khan indicated less public activity due to health and a protracted legal battle, he said he had not left politics. “If I had retired, would you still come to see me? You come only to see how much light is left in this lamp. The truth is that it is no longer in my power to keep it burning.”
–IANS
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