Lucknow, Oct 26 (IANS): UP Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Rai will pay a visit to the Sitapur Jail on Thursday to meet SP founder member Azam Khan.
"The purpose of this visit is to express solidarity with Azam Khan who is being harassed by the BJP government. In their act of political vengeance, the BJP has invoked false cases against Khan and is also targetting his family members, including his wife. There is a limit to vendetta," Rai told reporters.
Claiming that his act was 'purely humanitarian' and had nothing to do with any controversy or politics, Rai added that Congress workers will meet Khan's wife Tazeen Fatima and his son Abdullah Azam who are also in jail.
Asked if he had been given permission to visit Khan, Rai said: "Our Sitapur counterparts have followed the due procedure, but whether we get the permission or not, I will go there."
Sources, however, said that Rai's request has been refused by the jail authorities. Political analysts said that "It is a messaging gimmick and the Congress is eyeing minority votes who form 19 per cent of the electorate in UP."
Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and thereafter, Ajai Rai, had paid a visit to the house of BSP MP Danish Ali after he was subjected to abusive language by BJP MP Ramesh Bidhuri during a debate on the Women's Reservation Bill in Parliament.
This is to indicate that the Congress is willing to raise its voice for those who have been exploited in the BJP regime across party lines.
Meanwhile, the development is sure to generate some heartburn between SP and Congress in UP.
A senior SP leader reacted strongly to the issue pointing out that the complainant in most of the cases lodged against Azam Khan happen to be old Congressmen.
"On July 21, 2019 an official delegation of Congress party met the then Governor demanding Azam Khan's arrest. Now the Congress leaders will go to Sitapur even though they have been denied permission to meet him. This explains that the move is an election gimmick by the Congress," said a senior SP leader.
Akhilesh Yadav, though welcomed political leaders going to meet Azam, questioned the silence of Congress Party when "false cases were being slapped on him".
"Waise to sabko Azam Khan se milna chahiye. Lekin us samay Congress ke neta kahan the jab unko (Azam) ko farzi case mein phasaya jaa raha tha aur Congress ke neta bhi phasane mein lage hue the (People should go and meet Azam Khan. But where were the Congress leaders when Azam Khan was being implicated in false cases. Congress leaders were also a part of it)," the SP chief said.