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New Delhi, Oct 31 (IANS) Senior Samajwadi Party leader and former Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan, who was released from Sitapur jail in September after spending 23 months in jail in multiple criminal cases, may seem a little cool, but behind his carefully crafted demeanor is an astute politician who wants a bigger role for Muslims in the country’s political system.
In an exclusive interview with IANS, Azam Khan opens up about his political journey, his relationship with Akhilesh Yadav, his years spent in jail, the current state of Indian democracy and his source of income, his views on communal politics and representation of minorities.
Here is the full interview:
IANS: What is your assessment of Bihar elections? Who according to you will win, NDA or Grand Alliance?
Azam Khan: Politics is a tug of war between parties. Sometimes someone else’s burden is placed on someone else’s shoulders. Even when I was in jail, my and Abdullah’s names were in the list of star campaigners, although we obviously could not get out.
Now, for health and safety reasons, I don’t travel. I voluntarily gave up my Y-class security. I mostly live alone or with people close to me. The condition of Bihar is not good; No one places his head on the railway track without reason. My heart wants to not only go there but also make every possible contribution.
IANS: Don’t you trust the investigating agencies?
Azam Khan: I trust him, but I want the trust to increase further. That’s why I want international observers, so that no one feels that I am seeking any unfair advantage. I challenge them: conduct elections under any impartial agency and see if their candidates can even save their deposits.
IANS: Do you think India Bloc can defeat NDA in today’s circumstances?
Azam Khan: I spent about one and a half years in Varanasi jail. At that time it seemed as if democracy would never return. There was fear everywhere. People who earlier used to reach office three-four hours late, started arriving on time not because of discipline but because of fear. The whole country was under the shadow of fear.
IANS: There is criticism that while the CM candidate was declared from the Yadav community and the Deputy CM from the Mallah community, Muslims, who form about 19 per cent of Bihar’s population, were ignored. What do you say?
Azam Khan: I know very well where this question and its answer come from and I also know those who raised it. I have no criticism against him; I have good relations with him. I had a close relationship with senior leader Mufti Saheb. My relationship with his politics and legacy has always been deep.
IANS: Do you think Muslims are seen only as a vote bank?
Azam Khan: Not at all. People who allow themselves to be used do so in their own way. But to say that Muslims exist only to be exploited is an insult. We have used our vote wisely. In Uttar Pradesh we supported those governments which worked for the people.
IANS: Owaisi often appeals to join the alliance, but RJD and Congress refuse to include him, calling him ‘communal’. Your reaction?
Azam Khan: It is to answer those who refused to answer him as to why he did not take him, and to explain to him why he wanted to join. I was not part of that process. My only wish is that Akhilesh Yadav and Muslims get proper representation in India Block.
One does not become a Muslim just by wearing a cap. I have seen leaders who keep the cap in their pocket, wear it only during minority conferences and put it back on as soon as it is over.
IANS: Should Akhilesh Yadav announce Muslim Deputy Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh?
Azam Khan: The Constitution does not recognize such a post; This is merely symbolic. UP also has two Deputy CMs, but they are powerless; No one listens to them. Unless there is a provision for it in the Constitution, this post is meaningless.
IANS: Did you expect Akhilesh Yadav to visit you when you were in jail?
Azam Khan: He has been to jail many times in the past as well as recently. Relationships are neither made nor broken by meetings. My relationship with that family goes back more than 45 years; Such bonds do not end easily.
IANS: There were reports of rift between you and Akhilesh.
Azam Khan: Those stories were created by you (media). We also started believing in them because you showed us their destruction. There was a time when the media caused us great harm – we were punished for things we never even imagined.
IANS: When you were in jail, did you think that if Mulayam Singh Yadav had been alive, his reaction would have been different?
Azam Khan: When I was last in jail, Netaji (Mulayam Singh) was alive. But today, fake cases are filed by weaponizing the law. At such times agitation is of no help; It only causes harm. I had anticipated trouble and prevented it several times.
IANS: Would you say that Mulayam Singh’s demise has hurt you more?
Azam Khan: Injustice was my destiny. But can you guarantee that this will not happen again? Kapil Sibal worked very hard during my bail hearing; He presented every detail before the court. Within ten minutes, 27 FIRs were registered against me, each from a different police station but with the same crime number. Even the Supreme Court said, “He should be granted preliminary bail.”
IANS: Recently, controversy erupted when Raghavendra Singh, state in-charge of Yogi Adityanath’s Hindu Yuva Vahini and former MLA, challenged Hindu boys to “bring Muslim girls”, even promising them jobs if they did so. BSP leader Mayawati strongly condemned his remarks and spoke in defense of Muslims. What is your reaction?
Azam Khan: Look, I thank him for what he said, but it is better to remain silent on such matters. Because if we comment on something so derogatory, we promote its propagation. People with such degraded mentality only want reaction on their indecent words.
IANS: What is your source of income now? How do you handle household expenses?
Azam Khan: Both I and my wife get pension. No one in India has won from the same constituency eight consecutive times. Other people change seats, I don’t and every time my votes keep increasing.
IANS: Anuj Chaudhary is an officer in UP Police. It is said that you helped him when he was in power.
Azam Khan: I did not do anything for him. Akhilesh Yadav promoted him because he had won a medal; This was his good fortune. One day, I saw that despite Section 144 not being implemented, the police were stopping common people. I just said, “Don’t do this, such acts bring disrepute to the government.”
IANS: Just because your vote share increases, should you claim the post of CM or PM?
Azam Khan: Claiming such positions just because our vote percentage increases may be justified to some extent, but there is something more important: peace of mind. It does not matter whether we become PM, CM, Minister or MLA. What matters is to live without fear, to be able to leave home knowing that our children will return safely.
IANS: You mentioned huge fines and legal fees. Has your party helped you financially?
Azam Khan: When our house was raided by IT, people climbed the walls and entered inside. No one understood what was happening and they confiscated everything.
They found Rs 3,500 with me, Rs 10,000 with Abdullah, around Rs 500-600 with my elder son and around 100 grams of gold with my wife.
Now I will have to sell my house to meet the expenses, but the circumstances are such that even if I want to sell, there is no buyer.
IANS: If your government is returned in 2027, will you take revenge?
Azam Khan: We will see when the time comes. But we do not take revenge. If we also do what they did, what difference will there be between us and them?
IANS: Will your government seek justice for the victims in Sambhal and Bareilly?
Azam Khan: We will not take revenge, but yes we will definitely provide justice.
IANS: AAP MP from Rampur, Maulana Mohibullah Nadvi, faces serious allegations of marrying multiple women and cheating on them. Your comments?
Azam Khan: Some people can’t handle even one; Others have to wait a long time, it’s fate. A man once told me that his 47th wife had just died. When asked how, he said, “Whenever I marry, the wife dies within three days.” “I’m not that lucky, one is enough to upset me,” said another. Everyone has their own destiny and way of life, who are we to judge?
IANS: Have you retired from politics or are planning a second innings?
Azam Khan: If I had retired, would you still come to meet me? You just come to check how much light is left in this lamp. The truth is that it is no longer in my power to keep it burning.
IANS: Will there be a book on your life?
Azam Khan: I am a book myself, not just one but many books travel with me. This prison cell was once my destiny, but not this time.
IANS: During Yogi Adityanath’s tenure, you spent years in jail. If your party comes to power, will you take action against him?
Azam Khan: It would be revenge and I do not believe in revenge but in justice. I don’t even know what my mistake was, except that I remained loyal to a cause. Not a single one of the 114 cases accuses me of corruption or commission.
IANS: Have you been given back your security?
Azam Khan: When I was given security, I did not need it. Now, I don’t even have Y-class, let alone Z-protection. Those who unnecessarily oppose me enjoy high security. My father was jailed in 1970 for standing up against injustice and today his son has no security. This election was not won; It was looted.
IANS: Do you feel your life is in danger?
Azam Khan: If the world were a garden, where would the deserts go? My enemies are foolish; There is no point in having enmity with me. I don’t even remember the reason, because I have never harmed anyone.
I have always said, even in big public rallies, and I say it again today, if my words ever hurt anyone, let me know. I have never looked at anyone through the lens of religion or caste.
I have successfully organized two Kumbh Melas. There was a Nawab of Rampur, Zulfikar Ali. He kept goons around him and committed many atrocities. His end was also sad.
Once he had his men fire at me; They came with guns, and a German pistol even fell on my leg. The second time, when I was returning from Delhi, I was standing and waiting on the roadside, when an accident happened. What happened was what Allah had written. I am still alive today, but those who tried to kill me are not alive.
IANS: You seem calm now. What changed after jail?
Azam Khan: Just a little weakness due to health. Otherwise, I will bat when the match resumes.
–IANS
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