SP MLA Abu Azmi Calls Azam Khan's Arrest Democracy's Mockery
Mumbai, November 1: Samajwadi Party MLA Abu Asim Azmi has accused the Uttar Pradesh government of undemocratic conduct after the ED re-arrested Azam Khan shortly after his release. Azmi said that taking a person into custody in a new case the moment bail is granted in an earlier one makes a mockery of the country's democratic system.
Azmi said, "Azam Khan Sahab is a big leader, an educated man, a ten-time MLA, a former minister and a former MP. The treatment being given to him by the Uttar Pradesh government is something I believe has not happened to anyone in free India."
He said that if the government has charges against Azam Khan, it should file all of them together. "One case closes, bail comes, and then they arrest him again. Another case, another bail, another arrest. Waiting to pick up a person one case at a time is very wrong," he added. Azmi also said the ED should have first sent him a notice and questioned him. "The moment he came out, they talked to him and took him away. This is a complete mockery of democracy. It has become dictatorship."
Responding to Azam Khan's remarks, Azmi said Muslims have equal rights under the Constitution. He recalled that Fakhruddin Ali Ahmed, Dr. Zakir Husain and APJ Abdul Kalam had all served as President of India, and that many Muslims have held and still hold top posts.
Azmi said that the PDA family is being targeted today, particularly under the BJP government, and that the oppression is especially aimed at Muslims. According to him, this is meant to convince non-Muslim and majority communities that Muslims are oppressors, traitors and temple destroyers, based on what he called a false history.
He urged people to change the government in 2027 and 2032, arguing that the Constitution must be defended.
When asked another question, Azmi dismissed the suggestion that a Samajwadi government under Akhilesh Yadav would lead to temple donation theft or the demolition of any temple or mosque. He pointed to the 2012 to 2017 period as proof that every citizen would be treated equally.
Azmi said the Samajwadi Party is essentially a government of farmers, youth and labourers, and of the marginalised people who form 90 percent of the country. He alleged that the current ruling party came to power through false promises and has used government machinery as its own party workforce, violating the Constitution. "That is why they must be removed," he said.
On the India Bloc rally, Azmi said that governments formed in Delhi and Uttar Pradesh would resolve all the divisions and problems. He congratulated alliance leaders for coming out onto the streets, saying that when the streets fall silent people's breath stops, and that alive communities do not wait for five years.