<p>A day after a senior Uttar Pradesh minister literally advocated graft, senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan called cops dalals — middlemen, who sell themselves for money.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Minister for urban development Azam Khan’s sudden outburst in UP’s Barabanki town on Friday at the time of iftar took the police officials by surprise and many of them appeared to be upset over his remark.<br /><br />“Where is your chief? Call him. You people sell khaki for money. You are dalals,” said a furious Khan. <br /><br />“There was no provocation. The minister had arrived late for the programme and was visibly angry but that was not our fault,” said a district police official.<br /><br />Khan, who is known for being outspoken, has invited flak for his remarks on earlier occasions too. <br /><br />The minister had earlier defended the recent diktat of a panchayat at Baghpat which had banned love marriages and asked women not to use cellphones and go to markets alone.<br /><br />“It is not a diktat, it’s just an opinion and the panchayat is free to express its opinion. When Taslima Nasreen and Salman Rushdie say something, it is termed as freedom of speech and expression and when panchayats say something on social matters, it is termed as talibani,” Khan had said.<br /><br />“It is a social matter and the communities do take decisions as to how to conduct things in their society,” he said. The social activists were up in arms over his remarks on the panchayat’s ruling. <br /><br />Barely a day ago, senior minister Shivpal Singh Yadav had openly advocated graft. “If you work hard, you may steal a little but you shouldn’t commit robbery,” said Yadav. <br /><br /></p>
<p>A day after a senior Uttar Pradesh minister literally advocated graft, senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan called cops dalals — middlemen, who sell themselves for money.<br /><br /></p>.<p>Minister for urban development Azam Khan’s sudden outburst in UP’s Barabanki town on Friday at the time of iftar took the police officials by surprise and many of them appeared to be upset over his remark.<br /><br />“Where is your chief? Call him. You people sell khaki for money. You are dalals,” said a furious Khan. <br /><br />“There was no provocation. The minister had arrived late for the programme and was visibly angry but that was not our fault,” said a district police official.<br /><br />Khan, who is known for being outspoken, has invited flak for his remarks on earlier occasions too. <br /><br />The minister had earlier defended the recent diktat of a panchayat at Baghpat which had banned love marriages and asked women not to use cellphones and go to markets alone.<br /><br />“It is not a diktat, it’s just an opinion and the panchayat is free to express its opinion. When Taslima Nasreen and Salman Rushdie say something, it is termed as freedom of speech and expression and when panchayats say something on social matters, it is termed as talibani,” Khan had said.<br /><br />“It is a social matter and the communities do take decisions as to how to conduct things in their society,” he said. The social activists were up in arms over his remarks on the panchayat’s ruling. <br /><br />Barely a day ago, senior minister Shivpal Singh Yadav had openly advocated graft. “If you work hard, you may steal a little but you shouldn’t commit robbery,” said Yadav. <br /><br /></p>