'No political family faced as much injustice': Akhilesh meets jailed Azam Khan, targets BJP

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday met jailed party leader Azam Khan at Rampur district jail and alleged that no political family had faced as much injustice as Khan's family.

The meeting comes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, with the SP discussing its electoral strategy.According to PTI, Yadav accused the BJP government of pursuing political vendetta against Khan and lodging false cases against him."No political family has faced as much injustice as Azam Khan's family," Yadav said while addressing reporters after the hour-long meeting.Yadav said he had discussed all 403 Assembly constituencies with Khan, along with suggestions received from the party's alliance partners.

Asked who would contest from Rampur, he declined to reveal the name, saying, "Why should we reveal that now?"Khan and his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, were sentenced to seven years in prison by a Rampur court in November 2025 in dual PAN card cases linked to discrepancies in their dates of birth.

Khan has also faced convictions in several other cases, including hate speech and a fake birth certificate case.

He has challenged convictions through appeals.Yadav also accused the BJP government of undermining the Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, an institution associated with Khan, alleging that a conspiracy had been hatched to destroy it.Join conversation Share your thoughts in the comments Be respectful · TOI community guidelines He said, "The dream Azam Khan had for the university, for education and for building the future of young people, will be fulfilled by Samajwadi Party workers." Invoking the idea of Ram Rajya, Yadav alleged that justice and fairness were being undermined in Rampur.

"False cases do not have the strength to keep the truth imprisoned.

It may take time, there may be some delay, but the truth cannot be held captive in false cases," he said.The SP chief said defeating the BJP remained his party's primary objective ahead of the 2027 Assembly elections.

He also reiterated the party's allegations of electoral malpractice in the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.Asked about Khan's health, Yadav said it was better but added that the difficulties associated with being in jail remained.

Yadav was also scheduled to visit Khan's residence and meet his family members later on Thursday.