After chief minister Akhilesh Yadav’s attack on media over criticism on organising Saifai Mahotsav, now cabinet minister and number two in the government Azam Khan took on the fourth pillar of democracy alleging biased coverage of over seas educational tour of delegates led by the Urban Development and Parliamentary affairs ministers.
He even took on the media for taking up the issue of riot victims in Muzaffarnagar and accused them to be part of farcist forces raising such cause just to facilitate candidature of Narendra Modi as prime minister.
``I feel ashmed in the manner in which the media accused us for going on educational tour to foreign countries just for ayeyashi (fun)”, reacted Azam Khan while disclosing that how he was hurt on his nose just with the mike of an electronic camera which was pushed before him just after they landed in India. ``You should think what picture you – electronic and print media – had put before the world by making such objectionable remarks even when our team also included two female delegates”, claimed Khan while adding that such reporting is a serious threat to credibility of the media.
Justifying tour to foreign countries, Khan said that this is not the first time such tours were organised and earlier also than Speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi and Mata Prasad Pandey had taken such visits. ``India is a member of Commonwealth countries and UNO and we received invitation for tour so we went”, he disclosed. He also took on media for accusing the delegates for their stay in seven stars hotel. ``We requested to give some space on road for our stay but it is Indian Embassy that asked us that they had arranged hotel so we went there”, asserted Khan. Interestingly, Urban development minister also claimed to have done a `sting’ of an electronic channel senior representative which put a `demand’ before him and claimed that just after he refused to oblige, the news against him started flashing.
Reacting over media’s allegations that he not visited Muzaffarnagar but instead went on foreign tour, Khan said that he could not do so as he was facing seven notices from Supreme Court in this regard. `I could not visit Muzaffarnagar as I was served seven notices from SC”, he claimed adding that if he visited the relief camps or trouble prone areas, it would do further trouble.
Claiming that he is always stood by the side of riot victims, Khan accused media of trying to damage the Muslims by dividing them and charged them for hatching a plan to help Narendra Modi becoming prime minister. ``The media campaign pointed that some farcists forces are active to help Narendra Modi to become prime minister”, charges Khan saying that Muslims will never forget their massacre in Gujrat. He said that media attack on their foreign tour is just because he was a Muslim. Khan claimed that both BJP and Congress are not well wishers of Muslims and it was only Mulayam Singh Yadav and Akhilesh who were fighting for their upliftment.
Meanwhile Opposition Parties reacted strongly against Azam Khan’s attack on media. ``Rattle by the popularity of the Narendra Modi, the minister in Samajwadi Party government had spread canard against BJP. He knows that BJP will sweep the next elections so Khan was trying to give communal color to a study tour” BJP spokesman Vijay Badhur Pathak reacted here on Tuesday evening.
Congress spokesman Maroof Khan said that the real face of Mulayam, Akhilesh and even Azam Khan and their concern towards Muslims now stands exposed after they took least interest to support the riot victims in Muzaffarnagar to regain their confidence in the government but instead went to Saifai and on foreign tour to have fun.``Riots victims needed more morale support of the Government which would regain their confidence in the system”, claimed Maroof while alleging that government just released compensation and went to Saifai or to foreigh tour to have fun.