Have seen leaders who keep caps in pockets, wear them only during minority conferences: Azam Khan

New Delhi: In a candid revelation that underscores simmering tensions within the opposition INDIA bloc, veteran Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan has dismissed calls for a Muslim Deputy Chief Minister in Uttar Pradesh as mere “symbolism,” arguing that such posts hold no constitutional weight and fail to deliver substantive representation for the state’s 19 per cent Muslim population.

Speaking exclusively to IANS just weeks after his release from Sitapur jail, where he endured 23 months behind bars amid a barrage of criminal cases, Khan, a towering figure in the Samajwadi Party’s minority outreach and a nine-time MLA from Rampur, reflected on his decades-long association with the Yadav family, insisting that his bond with party chief Akhilesh Yadav remains unshakeable despite media-fanned rumours of a rift.

“Relationships aren’t made or broken by visits,” he said, recounting how Akhilesh had visited him in jail multiple times.

Dismissing the idea of a Muslim deputy CM as “powerless” – a position where “nobody listens” – Khan emphasised that true progress demands fair shares in decision-making, not ceremonial roles.

“Just wearing a cap doesn’t make one a Muslim,” he quipped, critiquing leaders who don religious symbols only for show.

His comments come amid Bihar’s high-stakes assembly elections scheduled in November, where the NDA faces off against the Mahagathbandhan, and Muslims feel sidelined despite their electoral heft. Khan decried the bloc’s exclusion of Asaduddin Owaisi, branding it a self-inflicted wound, and voiced his singular wish: “Akhilesh Yadav and Muslims get fair representation in the INDIA bloc.”

This, he argued, counters the narrative of Muslims as mere “vote banks,” an insult he rejected outright.

“We have used our votes wisely,” he affirmed, pointing to Uttar Pradesh’s history of supporting people-centric governments. Khan’s interview also peeled back layers on his personal trials, painting a portrait of resilience forged in adversity.

Released in September after the Supreme Court granted bail in multiple FIRs – which he claims were fabricated with identical crime numbers across 27 stations – the 76-year-old lives a subdued life, shunning Y-category security for health and privacy reasons. His modest circumstances were laid bare; pensions for himself and his wife, Tazeen Fatma, sustain the household, after income tax raids seized nearly everything, leaving just Rs 3,500 in his pocket and 100 grams of gold with her. “I’ll have to sell my house,” he lamented, with no buyers in sight due to lingering stigma.

Claiming that he was jailed not for corruption but due to his loyalty to Mulayam Singh Yadav’s socialist ideals, Khan said he “won’t take revenge” for “injustice” if SP returns to power in 2027.

On “communal provocations”, like Raghvendra Singh’s “inflammatory challenge” to “bring Muslim girls,” Khan urged restraint: “It is better to remain silent,” lest silence amplify propaganda.

His worldview, shaped by organising two Kumbh Melas without caste or religious bias, remains defiantly inclusive.

“I have never seen anyone through the lens of religion or caste,” he declared.

As Bihar votes and Uttar Pradesh eyes 2027, Khan’s voice – quieter post-jail but no less potent – signals a Muslim leadership yearning for empowerment beyond polls.

With Akhilesh’s recent embrace, including naming him a star campaigner for Bihar, the stage is set for reconciliation. But Khan’s core message endures: peace of mind trumps titles, and real change demands more than gestures.

IANS