SP’s silence on Azam Khan’s statement gives a signal

Those in the Akhilesh camp claim that ‘certain leaders are outdated’.

The Samajwadi Party’s intriguing silence over Mohd Azam Khan’s statement accusing Indian Army personnel of raping women does not have any political overtones. If any, it is reflective of the malaise that has set into the party.

Mohd Azam Khan, till three months ago, was acting as a bridge between the warring father and son and his mediation was apparently acceptable to both Mulayam and Akhilesh Yadav.

Things changed when Akhilesh Yadav appointed Ram Govind Chaudhary as the Leader of Opposition, ignoring the seniority of Azam Khan.

The sulking Khan refused to take oath as MLA and agreed to be administrated the oath two weeks later in the Speaker’s chamber.

Azam Khan, thereafter, has snapped all links with Akh- ilesh Yadav and even stayed away from the Iftar party hosted by Akhilesh Yadav last week.

On Thursday, he was conspicuous by his absence at Prof Ram Gopal Yadav’s birthday bash at Sefai in Etawah.

According to sources close to Mohd Azam Khan, the senior leader is upset at the fact that Akhilesh Yadav did not utter a word in his support when the Yogi Adityanath government ordered inquiries against him regarding his Jauhar University and sale of Waqf properties.

“Political courtesy demanded that Akhilesh Yadav should have supported his senior most leader. Instead, the former Chief Minister completely ignored the issue and even made fun of the matter when some journalists questioned him. This has naturally upset Azam Khan, who is now realising why some people are opposing Akhilesh Yadav,” said a supporter.

These “some people”, apparently, include Shivpal Yadav, with whom Azam Khan shares a good rapport.

These recent developments in the Samajwadi Party clearly indicate that all is certainly not well within.

“The Presidential election will throw open the divisions in the party and everyone will know exactly how many MLAs are going to cross the party line. Akhilesh Yadav is still riding the high horse and feels that he will be back as Chief Minister in 2022, but the reality is that the party is steadily going downhill,” said another Azam supporter.

Meanwhile, leaders in the Akhilesh camp claim that “certain leaders are outdated and have lost their relevance”.

“Akhilesh wants to induct young blood into the party, but he is not going to throw out anyone. If leaders who have no base walk out on their own, he is not going to stop them. Leaders like Azam Khan have never brought votes for the party— he has only brought embarrassment and shame,” said a leader from the Akhilesh camp.

Interestingly, Akhilesh Yadav also did not take up the case of Gayatri Prajapati, who has been languishing in jail since the past three months on charges of gang rape.

Akhilesh did not bother to visit the jailed politician, but Mulayam Singh Yadav, this week, met Prajapati in the Lucknow jail and later told reporters that he would take up the issue of his release with the Prime Minister and even the President.

“He is innocent and should not be treated like a terrorist,” he said.

Sources confirm that the Samajwadi Party has already split in spirit and it is only a matter of time before the split becomes formal.