The much-anticipated meeting between Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav and senior party leader Azam Khan finally took place on Wednesday at a Delhi hospital, signalling a thaw in the relationship.
Sources said the meeting that lasted for around three hours at the Sir Ganga Ram Hospital, and was made possible by senior advocate Kapil Sibal, who is contesting the upcoming Rajya Sabha election from Uttar Pradesh as an independent with the support of the Samajwadi Party. Mr. Sibal is Mr. Khan’s advocate in his long legal battle.
Later in the day, Mr. Yadav tweeted a photo of the meeting and wished for Mr. Khan’s early recovery.
This was the first meeting between the two leaders since Mr. Khan came out of the Sitapur jail, after spending 20 months in it, on May 20.
After his release, in his interactions with local media, Mr. Khan hinted that he was “looking for a new boat”, leading to speculation that the senior leader, who was described as a “half Chief Minister” during Mr. Yadav’s reign, was miffed with the senior party leadership.
The fact that senior party leader Shivpal Yadav, who shares an acrimonious relationship with his nephew Mr. Akhilesh Yadav, went to receive Mr. Khan at the Sitapur jail, gave wings to speculation. However, Wednesday’s meeting, party sources said, would leave “the chacha (uncle) in the lurch”.
Party sources admitted that Mr. Khan was annoyed with the way the party had treated him during his legal battle but he had very few options outside the party fold. “If he joins hands with Shivpal- ji, he would be seen as supporting the BJP’s game plan in the State,” said a leader. “The MLAs who are supporting him would not like to resign from their membership so soon,” he added. Also, observers said, with his health deteriorating, he would like to pass on his political legacy in Rampur to his family.
Perhaps that is the reason why Mr. Khan, known for his poetic jibes, told reporters on Tuesday, “ Meri haisiyat nahin ki main shikwa karoon (I am not in a position to complain),” and described himself as an ordinary party worker. The statement, party sources said, paved the way for the meeting, with Mr. Sibal already acting as a bridge.
Sources said the name of the possible candidate for the upcoming Rampur Lok Sabha bypoll was also discussed. One of the names doing the rounds is that of Sidra Adeeb, Mr. Khan’s elder daughter-in-law, who has been politically active since Mr. Khan was incarcerated in February 2020. “Knowing Khan sahib, he would not like the seat to go outside the family,” a source said.
Confident that the meeting will send a good message, party spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi said it would put an end to the speculation doing the rounds that Khan sahib was angry with the Samajwadi Party. “Akhilesh- ji has always been concerned about his health. He visited Mr. Khan when he was admitted to Medanta hospital in Lucknow because of COVID,” the source said.
