Over two-decade-old bitterness between the Azam Khan and Amar Singh resurfaced at Saifai on the occasion of the 77th birthday celebrations of Samajwadi party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav on Saturday. Azam Khan on Sunday dismissed the presence of Amar Singh at the stage at Saifai where Mulayam Singh Yadav cut the cake as `` some garbage does come in during the storm’’. Amar Singh retorted `` Main Dal mein rahun Ya na rahun , main netaji ke dil mein rahta hun’’. (Whether I am in the party or not, I live in the heart of Netaji).
Azam Khan had stayed away from the inaugural function of the birthday celebrations at Saifai when Mulayam Singh Yadav cut the cake on Saturday evening where noted music composer A R Rahman staged the music concert. Azam Khan reached Saifai past mid night with a fresh cake.
The cake was cut by Mulayam Singh Yadav at PWD guest house at Saifai. later Azam Khan claimed the earlier 77 kg cake cut by Mulayam Singh Yadav at Saifai stadium was a `nakli cake’ (fake cake) , the cake Netaji cut at Saifai guest house was Asli cake’’. Dismissing the presence of Amar Singh as `garbage’ Azam Khan on the reentry of amar Singh in the party said ``lets not dig into the past, some garbage does comes in when there is a storm’’.
Samajwadi Party sources said the entry of Amar Singh in the party is now a fait accompali. He is most likely to be nominated to the Rajya Sabha in May next year. On July 4, next year as many as ten members of the Rajya Sabha from UP are retiring. As per its present strength in state assembly the ruling Samajwadi party can get six members elected on first preference vote. SP sources said the frost family of the party headed by Mulayam Singh Yadav has arrived at consensus on this issue.
Amar Singh has already demonstrated his clout in the Samajwadi Party by getting his two nominees inducted in the council of ministers. Balwant Singh Ramuwalia as cabinet minister and Madan chauhan as minister of state. In January 2010, Samajwadi party parliamentary board terming Amar Singh as ` intruder’ had expelled Amar Singh from the party. Along with him the sitting party MP from Rampur Jayaprada and four MlAs Madan Chauhan, Sandeep Agarwal, Ashok Chandel and Sarvesh Singh, were also suspended from the party. Madan Chauhan, the protégé of Amar Singh, has now been elevated as the minister.
The Samajwadi Party sources unhappy over the war of words between the two old rivals of the party said ``no leader from any party worth the name turned up for the grand birthday celebrations, the bickering of Azam Khan and Amar Singh further dampened the spirits on the occasion’’.