Azam Khan differs from party,targets Ramdev

As he tried to rally the minority communitys support for Mulayam Singh Yadav,Samajwadi Party co-founder and its Muslim face Azam Khan took a line different from the party

As he tried to rally the minority communitys support for Mulayam Singh Yadav,Samajwadi Party SP co-founder and its Muslim face Azam Khan on Wednesday took a line different from the party top brass on yoga guru Baba Ramdev in the wake of his alleged association with the BJP and RSS.

Fighting corruption has been one of the main agendas of Samajwadi party since its foundation8230; A new agitation has begun to counter corruption8230;Can Ritambhara or Ashok Singhal remove corruption? Or the BJP,whose national president was caught on camera accepting bribe? Never, Khan said.

Khan was addressing the national convention of the party in Agra in presence of president Mulayam Singh Yadav and the party leadership.

Khans remarks hold significance in the wake of the partys entire top brass president Mulayam Singh Yadav,vice-president Brijbhushan Tiwari and general secretary Mohan Singh offering unflinching support to Ramdev,ignoring Sadhvi Ritambharas collaboration with Ramdev. Ritambhara is one of the accused in the Babri demolition case.

Speaking ahead of Khan,both Tiwari and Singh supported Ramdev. But Khan maintained a discordant note and came down against Ramdevs plan to raise an army to weed out corruption.

Just now I watched Ramdev announcing his decision to raise an armed force. This is not proper for a democracy, Khan said,asking party cadres and the leadership not to support Ramdev,indicating differences within the party over the issue.

State general secretary,Om Prakash Singh,dismissed any differences. The party is supporting the cause being championed by Ramdev. It criticised the Central government for violation of civil liberties by using force against peaceful protesters. Even Azam Khan supports it. There is no difference. We are not condoning the association of saffron elements, Om Prakash Singh told The Indian Express.

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While Khan supported Mulayam Singhs criticism of the Central governments use of force against Ramdevs peaceful agitation,he took an indirect swipe at Ramdev for trying to escape in womans attire.

Khan,who was re-inducted into the SP late last year,asked Muslims not to be lured by small minority-oriented parties such as the Peace Party and Ulema Council and the Congress.