While as of now Khan joining BSP appears to be far-fetched, as general mood of the Muslim community is largely tilted towards the SP and he is unlikely to take any decision which might not have the community’s support, writes M Hasan
Lucknow, September 24: The release of senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan from Sitapur jail on bail has set out heated debated in political circle about “difference with SP leadership and plan to join BSP”. There is buzz word that BSP has already sent feelers to Khan and his wife and former SP MP Tazeen Fatima reportedly had meeting with BSP supremo Mayawati in Delhi.
Expressing ignorance about any such move BSP lone MLA Uma Shankar Singh however said Azam Khan joining the BSP would certainly strengthen the party. After departure of Nasimuddin Siddique from BSP in May 2017 after the party’s electoral debacle, there has been no acceptable “Muslim face” in the BSP. Mayawati’s effort to fill the vacuum has so far failed to yield positive results. Now with Azam Khan finally walking out of jail after nearly two years, all eyes are on him about materializing the plan of the BSP supremo.
However, Azam Khan is non-committal over the issue. When asked about reports of leaving the SP and joining the BSP, Khan quipped “jo atkalien laga rahen hain unse poochye… mujhse kyo pooch rahen hain (ask from those who are speculating, why are you asking from me). Pointing out about his priority to first take care of his health, 77-year-old Khan said “first I will seek medical care and then think about what to do next”. Khan’s health had been considerable affected due to long incarceration and covid attack in jail in 2021.
The SP chief Akhilesh Yadav and Shiv Pal Yadav have also debunked the report as just “rumour”. “Khan is founding member of the party”, Akhilesh Yadav said and added party has always given him full respect. Though Mulayam Singh Yadav had suspended Khan from the party in 2009 (during Mayawati regime) after differences, he was taken back just after one year. But after SP’s thumping victory in 2012 and installation of Akhilesh Yadav as Chief Minister, Khan had become a major power-center in the government as well as in the party.
The situation however took peculiar turn after the defeat of SP in 2017 and witch-hunting of Khan by BJP government which started by slapping of large number of cases and his long imprisonment, which led to reports about “differences” with SP leadership, because of the expressive support of leadership at a time of Khan’s acute distress.
While as of now Khan joining BSP appears to be far-fetched, as general mood of the Muslim community is largely tilted towards the SP and he is unlikely to take any decision which might not have the community’s support. Moreover, Khan by nature has always liked “level-playing field”, which seems to be impossible in Mayawati-controlled Dalit organization in which hierarchy has already been bestowed on her nephew Akash Anand.
The BSP has been desperately hankering for Dalit-Muslim-OBC combination to regain lost ground before 2027 assembly elections. The decimation of BSP was complete after 2022 assembly election when the party could win just one seat with reduced vote share of 12.9 percent. While Muslim had migrated to SP, even there was large-scale split in Dalit votes which had shifted to BJP.
BSP, which had played “Brahmin-Muslim-Dalit” card very successfully in 2007 election and had for the first time come to power on its own strength, could not replicate the formula in later electoral battles. Mayawati along with Akash Anand has now been making hectic efforts to bounce back to centre-stage of UP politics before next assembly election but large-scale fragmentation of the party’s vote base seems to have become major stumbling bloc.
There is feeling in the party that arrival of tall Muslim leader like Azam Khan would help in splitting the community vote in some pockets in western UP, where BSP also has considerable Dalit votes. This strategy may help the BSP or not but division in Muslim vote will certainly be music to the ear of the BJP. It was considerably dawned upon the community during 2022 election which led to almost one-sided support to SP. The situation as of now appeared to be unchanged on the ground. Similarly, Nagina MP Chandrashekar Azad, who heads Azad Samaj Party (ASP), has also been aspiring to tie up with Khan to spread his base in west UP. He had met Khan in Sitapur jail. But as compared to SP, the Muslim community, according to reports, is not very much inclined towards this fledgling organization.
(M Hasan is former Chief of Bureau, Hindustan Times).
