Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav’s visit to Rampur to meet senior leader Azam Khan on Wednesday left police officers of Bareilly, Moradabad and Rampur — and even local party leaders — flummoxed as, sources said, his travel schedule changed twice since Tuesday night. Around 10.30 am today, the programme finally released by Akhilesh’s personal staff in Lucknow stated that the SP national president will be landing by private aircraft at Bareilly airport, from where he will take a chopper to the helipad on the Jauhar University premises in Rampur. A senior official confirmed that as per the programme, Akhilesh would land at Bareilly at 11.15 am and reach the Jauhar University helipad at 11.50 am. He will then arrive at Azam Khan’s residence at 12.15 pm, where he will stay till 1.15 pm. He would return to Bareilly airport to fly for Lucknow at 2 pm, he added. Once one of the most powerful ministers in Uttar Pradesh and the SP’s tallest leader from the Muslim community, Azam Khan was released from jail on bail last month. In an interview to The Indian Express on Tuesday had said he heard about Akhilesh’s visit, but would meet only him and no one else. Till Wednesday morning, party sources said, Akhilesh’s plan was to land by private aircraft at Mudha Pandey airstrip in Moradabad airport by noon — permission had been sought for this airport by the aircraft staff. However, sources said, this aircraft was cancelled by Akhilesh and another was hired. Permission was taken to land at Bareilly airport and proceed via chopper for Rampur, party sources said. The administration was not ready to give permission to travel by road from Bareilly, they added. Earlier in the morning, Rampur District President, Ajay Sagar, had told The Indian Express that Akhilesh’s revised programme had reached them. He said he would be landing at Moradabad airport at noon and reach Rampur by 12.30 pm. Akhilesh’s initial programme, that was shared with Rampur and Bareilly party leaders about 10 days ago, was to arrive in Bareilly at 10 am and reach Rampur by car at 11 am. Party leaders were already contemplating that permission would not be given for Akhilesh to land in Bareilly due to the recent violence in the district over the 'I Love Muhammad' poster issue. Last week, an SP delegation comprising 14 members, led by Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey, was denied permission to visit Bareilly. Pandey and others were allegedly kept under house arrest.
