Lucknow: Senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, who has been keeping a low profile for months, met party president Akhilesh Yadav at his residence in Lucknow on Friday. The meeting, attended by Azam’s son Abdullah Azam, was seen as a gesture of renewed camaraderie between the two leaders.
Akhilesh shared pictures of the meeting on social media platform X, writing: “He came to our home today, bringing along countless memories. This togetherness is our shared legacy.”
Azam arrived in Lucknow on Thursday and stayed at a hotel, where he also met a few Samajwadi Party leaders. Keeping his visit discreet, the veteran leader avoided public events and political fanfare. However, his presence at the hotel soon drew attention as several SP leaders were seen visiting him, including former minister Abhishek Mishra and former MLA Sibghatullah Ansari, brother of the late Mukhtar Ansari.
During his stay, Azam also released the book “Sitapur ki Jail Diary” authored by Haider Abbas.
Speaking to reporters, Azam took a swipe at the administration for labelling him a “land mafia.” “I have been in politics for 50 years, yet I do not own a bungalow in Lucknow. If I were a land mafia, I would have one here. The house I live in at Rampur gets flooded during rains,” he said.
Taking a dig at the Prime Minister’s recent remark in Bihar about “katta” (country-made pistol) culture, Azam quipped: “In our place, the son of a man who sold kattas became an MLA and now has commandos for security. In 1975, a man was arrested with a katta drum and later became an MLA, and now his son holds the same position.”
On being asked about Bihar politics, Azam said he did not campaign there, remarking: “Those who can fight with animals and have weapons went there. I have no security, so I stayed away.”