It is rightly said that Parliamentary Affairs and Urban Development Minister Mohd Azam Khan has a knack of landing up in one controversy after the other. He is also known for throwing tantrums and sulking. But then, he is Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle, hence, he gets away with almost any and everything.
So, it is not surprising that he is in the news yet again — this time, for making a fuss about being frisked at a US airport. He was there as part of a delegation with the Chief Minister who was invited to Harvard University to talk on the successful holding of the Kumbh Mela. He said he was subjected to ‘humiliation’ by the US airport authorities because he is a Muslim. The entire delegation went into a dilemma as the Minister refused to attend the function unless the US Government apologised to him.
The Chief Minister also preferred to stay away from the programme, apparently to appease the minorities back home. Surprisingly, Chief Secretary Javed Usmani, also a Muslim, addressed the university.
Khan’s objection has raised a question: Usmani, who was a senior member of the delegation and also a Muslim, had no problem with being frisked. Similarly the Minister’s private secretary, again a Muslim, did not feel humiliated about the airport procedure.
On earlier occasions too, Khan has hogged the limelight on such issues. Once, he pulled up some senior bureaucrats saying that they only understood stern language. He humiliated a senior officer in his department. On another occasion, he sulked for days when he was relieved of charge of some of the districts. The Chief Minister Akhilesh had to return the charge to him.
Recently, former Samajwadi Party heavyweight (now heading the newly formed lok Manch) Amar Singh accused Khan of instigating transport officials to misbehave with Jayaprada in Rampur.
What the people want to know is whether such tantrums by the Minister will actually help in consolidating minority votes for SP in the 2014 lok Sabha elections. It is believed that Khan’s supporters — certain Muslim leaders — are only in small pockets and hence, would hardly influence voters at large. Remember how Khan had, in the past, protested against Amar Singh’s growing influence in SP and had left the party in a huffIJ
later, he had to be cajoled into returning to his parent party but only on the condition that Amar Singh would be ousted. What remains to be seen is whether the Muslims are still swayed by SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav’s assurances as they were in the past. Meanwhile, enjoy the tantrums of Khan.
Maya courts media
Former Chief Minister and Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati has come up with a novel method of registering her protest against the Akhilesh Government. She is holding Press conferences to prove her party’s point and hit out at the poor law and order situation in the State.
She has made several rounds to Raj Bhawan, requesting Governor Bl Joshi to recommend President’s Rule in wake of what she says in a complete breakdown of the law and order situation.
Behenji has even extended a hand of friendship to mediapersons and stayed back to answer any queries made by journalists. When she was in power, she had made a rule to leave the venue once she completed her ‘dictation’ to the media. The question of answering any queries never arose.
But, the other day, the BSP chief ensured that she replied to all the media queries thrown at her. Only later did journalists realise that she and her party were courting the media to make their stand clear. The party that had till now not taken to the streets is now out with Brahmin bhaichara committee rallies against the ruling SP till now.
Babus enjoying it
The bureaucrats appear to be relaxed in the present reign — as opposed to Mayawati’s tenure when they were kept on their toes. A wag remarked: “The babus used to be so scared during Mayawati’s rule that they finished all their work on time. Now, they hardly take their work seriously despite being pulled up by the Chief Minister several times.”
The bureaucrats, housed on the fifth floor of the Chief Minister’s annexe office, have not only managed to keep the people but also public representatives and Ministers out of their office. Most of the times, the complaints are about how even important files gather dust. Will the Chief Minister look into the matter before it is too lateIJ