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Abdullah Azam Khan, Samajwadi party leader and son of veteran politician Azam Khan, is contesting from the Suar constituency in Uttar Pradesh's Rampur, in the ongoing assembly elections.
Senior Samajwadi party leader and MP Azam Khan has been in jail since February 2020, with close to 100 FIRs lodged against him. Abdullah was also sent to jail along with his father, and mother Tazeen Fatma. After 23 months in jail, Abdullah was recently released on bail, on 20 January 2022.
In a candid conversation with The Quint, Abdullah Azam Khan spoke about his time in jail, his father's solitary confinement in jail despite fighting COVID-19, threat to his life, his commitment to Akhilsh Yadav, and the Owaisi factor in Uttar Pradesh.
You have finally come out of jail after 23 months. How prepared are you for the elections?
It was a tough time in jail. My fight is on, since my father is still in jail. People of Rampur always support and vote for Azam Khan. But the bigger challenge ahead of me, is to stay alive. I have been told that my life is in danger, Government officials have told me that BJP members can kill me anytime. And this is a fact. I'm not saying this to gain publicity.
Are you saying that the government machinery is acting against you?
I'm not fighting against any party. I'm fighting against the officials here. Specifically, against former District Magistrate of Rampur, Aunjaneya Kumar Singh. Police harassment and atrocities against the common man was rampant when he was the DM.
How tough was your time in jail?
My mother was kept in solitary confinement in the women's ward. My father and I were also kept in solitary confinement. I have managed to come out on bail but my father is still in jail. The British used to keep convicts on death row in those barracks. I am an MLA, my mother is an MLA and father is an MP. We don't deserve to be kept in solitary confinement. In jail, we weren't even given basic facilities.
Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, 'Jaise karni, waisi bharni' (as you sow, so shall you reap). What do you have to say about that?
He promoted atrocities against farmers who were mowed down in Lakhimpur Kheri. He didn't ensure farmers get justice. He let the farmers suffer for more than a year. I'm sure voters will remember these things when they cast their vote. And the voters will tell this government, 'Jaise karni, waisi bharni'
Union Home Minister Amit Shah, 'Do you know Azam Khan? Dabangayi karte the' (He used to dictate).
When addressing voters, we must speak about growth and progress. But BJP's agenda is that of hate. They only care about grabbing power by hook or by crook. As long as someone stays with the BJP, they are saints. the minute they distance themselves from the BJP, they become dictators, mafias, thieves.
Your party chief Akhilesh Yadav has never been seen extensively coming out in your support.
Cases against us were not filed by Akhilesh Yadav or the Samajwadi Party. Getting bails in so many cases filed against us, in the middle of a pandemic, takes time. To show that someone is helping us and to actually helping us are two different things. Akhilesh Yadav doesn't need to prove what he has done for us.
Do you think Owaisi-led AIMIM can make a difference in Uttar Pradesh?
A party contesting on only 100 seats in UP, cannot for the government. But they can hinder the prospects of another party. And a party that has won only 7 seats in their own bastion, cannot win in 100 seats in UP. He should clarify whether he's here to win or to help another party win.
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