Rampur (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 22 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday asserted that his party, along with party leader Azam Khan, is steadfastly working toward establishing a "regime of social justice," accusing the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of targeting Khan and his educational initiatives to derail this mission.
Speaking to reporters after the meeting with Khan at the district jail, Yadav accused the ruling dispensation of deliberately targeting the Jauhar University in Rampur, claiming that no government in history has inflicted such damage on an educational institution.
"An injustice has been perpetrated against the family of the respected Azam Khan... They have been subjected to fabricated cases. He has spent so many years in prison. The truth is that the BJP has no concern for education, nor for anything related to it... They have shown no concern for the university; in fact, they have destroyed the university (Mohammad Ali Jauhar University). A deliberate conspiracy and plot was hatched to ruin the university; perhaps no other government, or rather, no other dictatorial regime, has ever caused such devastation to the field of education on this earth," Yadav said.
The SP chief claimed that state machinery was weaponised to frame Khan, though officials involved are now reconsidering their stance.
"The truth is that Azam Khan and the Samajwadi Party are working toward establishing a regime of social justice... Certain officials are being used as tools to file fabricated cases; however, even these officials are gradually distancing themselves," he said.
Expressing confidence that Khan would eventually walk free, Yadav asserted that politically motivated allegations cannot keep the truth suppressed indefinitely.
"Fabricated cases do not possess the power to keep someone imprisoned indefinitely. It may take time; there might be some delay, but these false charges lack the strength to keep the truth under lock and key," the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister stated.
Reiterating his party's support for Khan's educational initiatives, Yadav added, "I want to emphasise that the dream envisioned by Azam Khan, a university dedicated to education and shaping the future, is a dream that the Samajwadi Party will work to fulfil."
The visit comes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Azam Khan, a 10-time MLA from Rampur Sadar and a former Cabinet minister, has been one of the SP's prominent Muslim leaders. He has been lodged in Rampur district jail since November last year following his conviction in a forgery case.
On October 13, the Enforcement Directorate (ED) questioned Khan in Rampur jail as part of its ongoing money-laundering investigation linked to the Maulana Mohammad Ali Jauhar Trust and Mohammad Ali Jauhar University. The probe concerns alleged diversion of government contract funds through private contractors and their subsequent use, including for the creation of assets linked to the trust and the university.
The ED had earlier conducted searches at premises linked to Khan in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with the case under the Prevention of Money Laundering Act (PMLA).
Khan has also been sentenced to two years in prison in a case related to his alleged objectionable remarks about government officials during the 2019 Lok Sabha election campaign. (ANI)
"BJP has no concern for education": Akhilesh Yadav lashes out after meeting Azam Khan in Rampur jail
