Azam Khan misusing his power

Dr Shakti Kumar Pandey from Lucknow

SP Minister Azam Khan who is known for blackmailing Mulayam and his party, who is known for running his own government in Rampur district, and who claims that he is the sole representative of Muslim community in Uttar Pradesh, has been in the news for harassing Muslim members of business community in Rampur.

Rampur-based businessman Faisal Khan Lala has accused Cabinet Minister and Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan of harassing him since last few days. Lala alleged that his two plywood factories have been closed down and fruit trading license has been cancelled at the behest of Azam Khan in Rampur.

Faisal Khan Lala, who was in Lucknow recently, broke down in a press conference while narrating his ordeal. He had organised the Press Conference just in order to apprise people of the level to which Azam has come down, committing atrocities on the people. Interestingly, his harassment grew further when he had a chance meeting with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav during an entrepreneur’s conference organised by Indian Industries Association (IIA) in Lucknow in May.

Faisal Khan Lala said that his meeting with the CM earned him the wrath of Khan. “I was one of the participants at IIA’s entrepreneur’s conference held in Lucknow on May 22, where the CM interacted with us and I raised the problems faced by entrepreneurs in Rampur. He asked his official Amod Kumar to call up the Rampur DM about the issue,” Lala added, saying further that “After that the harassment began, license of my two plywood factories, Sajid Wood Industries and SAK Wood Industries, situated on Nainital Road, has been cancelled by the forest department. Even my fruit trading license was cancelled by Mandi Parishad,” he alleged.

Congress legislator from Swar Tanda constituency in Rampur, Nawab Kazim Ali Khan has further alleged that Uttar Pradesh minister Azam Khan has grabbed ‘enemy property’ for his private trust in Rampur. He added that “There is around 450 bigha land of enemy property which Azam wants to include in Maulana Ali Jauhar University, run by his trust.”