Azam back in SP to boost party before 2012 UP Assembly polls

62-year-old Khan, who was expelled from SP over a year ago on charges of indulging in anti-party activities, met party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav at his residence here in the morning.

They reached the party office together to attend the meeting of state office bearers to the discuss the strategy for the Assembly polls. The meeting was attended by SP MPs and MLAs and other senior leaders.

The two leaders shook hands signalling that they had buried their differences.

Yadav said SP cannot move ahead without Azam's participation, while the Muslim leader, on his part, termed his second entry in the party fold as homecoming and said a bad dream was finally over.

At the meeting, Mulayam's brother Shiv Pal Singh Yadav announced that he was resigning from the post of Leader of the Opposition in the state Assembly so that Khan could take over.

Khan, however, turned down the offer, saying, "If I accept the post, fingers would be raised that this reunion is for political gains. I want to remain just a member of the family."

Before being expelled from the party in 2009 for six years, Khan was Leader of the Opposition in the UP Assembly.

The party feels that Khan's re-entry would brighten its electoral prospects in the state.
Khan was expelled from the SP after the last Lok Sabha polls on charges of indulging in anti-party activities and opposing the candidature of Jaya Prada from Rampur.

He had objected to SP joining hands with former BJP leader Kalyan Singh during the polls to avoid a dent in the party's Muslim vote bank.

The SP chief later parted ways with Kalyan and also Khan's bete noire Amar Singh, paving way for the former leader's re-entry in the party.
Khan, while making a veiled attack on Singh, said, "Someone had to identify the opportunist person, who cheated on the party and caused loss."
He said there were persons who played with the emotions of others and then expressed their hatred.
"They had said that it was not important whether they live or not, but it was necessary that Mulayam must die," he said.

Khan said he has a 30-year-old association with the SP supremo and this was why even after being expelled, he never thought of joining any other organisation.

"Though I had offers, I knew that one day my leader will realise my feelings," he said.
Without naming Kalyan Singh, he said a person responsible for the demolition of Babri Mosque was the "criminal of humanity."

"I have also seen a man, who had the misconception that he could make or break the government at Delhi, touching the feet of this person (responsible for the demolition)," Khan said, attacking both Kalyan and Amar.

On claims that Mulayam had apologised to Muslims for associating with Kalyan, he said, "In reality, he apologised to the entire country so that no one can dare raise a finger at him."

"On October 30, 1990, Yadav did not order police firing just to appease the Muslims, but he did so as part of his responsibility," he added.

Police had opened fire on Karsevaks in Ayodhya on October 30, 1990, in which left many of them dead and injured -- an action that helped the BJP win power in the state in 1991.

Defending Yadav's stand on the Allahabad High Court verdict on the Ayodhya title suits that the judgement was given on the basis of faith, Khan said Muslims felt cheated.

Welcoming Khan back in the SP fold, Yadav said in the current political scenario when the party had to play an important role, the senior leader cannot be kept away.

"Azam's entry in the party has encouraged workers. There might have been some differences in the party, but these have been cleared," he added.