Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav met party leader Azam Khan at Uttar Pradesh's Rampur district jail on Thursday, triggering a political confrontation with the BJP ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.BJP national general secretary Vinod Tawde reacted to the meeting by alleging that the Samajwadi Party planned to make Khan the state's home minister if it came to power. Tawde accused Khan of promoting lawlessness and claimed such a move would derail the state's development.Khan was convicted along with his son, Abdullah Azam Khan, in dual PAN card cases involving discrepancies in dates of birth and sentenced to seven years in prison.Yadav, who reached Rampur by helicopter, accused the BJP government of pursuing political vendetta against Khan and his family, alleging that false cases had been filed against them. “No political family has faced as much injustice as Azam Khan's family,” Yadav told reporters after meeting Khan for about an hour.AKHILESH DISCUSSES ALL 403 SEATS WITH AZAM KHAN Asked whether he had discussed the Rampur Assembly constituency with Khan, Yadav said they had held a detailed conversation about all 403 Assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh.
He added that they had also discussed suggestions received from the Samajwadi Party's alliance partners. Yadav said Khan had not sought any particular Assembly seat but had offered suggestions, which the party had taken note of.
He declined to reveal whom the SP would field from Rampur.The SP chief said defeating the BJP remained the party's principal objective ahead of the 2027 elections.“The Samajwadi Party's direct objective is to defeat the BJP, and every party worker is ready for it,” he said, referring to the BJP's electoral performance in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections.YADAV ACCUESE BJP OF TARGETING KHAN, JAUHAR UNIVERSITY Yadav alleged that the BJP government had undermined the principles of justice and fairness and was using false cases to keep Khan imprisoned.“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.He also accused the state government of damaging Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, an institution associated with Khan, alleging that a conspiracy had been hatched to destroy it.Yadav said the university had been envisioned as a centre of education and an opportunity for young people to build their future.
He promised that Samajwadi Party workers would work to fulfil Khan's vision for the institution.The former chief minister further alleged that corrupt officials had been used to implicate Khan in false cases and claimed some officials were now distancing themselves from those responsible.Yadav said the relationship between the SP and the people of Rampur was both political and emotional, adding that Khan and the party were working towards a system based on social justice.Asked about Khan's health, Yadav said it had improved but added that the difficulties associated with being in jail remained.BJP INVOKES 2013 MUZAFFARNAGAR RIOTS Reacting to the visit, Tawde alleged that making Khan the state's home minister would push Uttar Pradesh towards destruction.“The dream of making Azam Khan — a mastermind behind riots — the state's home minister would derail the state's development and lead it towards destruction,” Tawde said on X.He also referred to the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots, claiming that people in Uttar Pradesh remembered the period of riots and lawlessness under the previous SP government.Tawde rejected the SP's political slogan of social justice, referring to the party's PDA formulation — Pichhde, Dalit, Alpsankhyak, or backward classes, Dalits and minorities.AZAM KHAN HAS CHALLENGED CONVICTIONS Khan has faced convictions in several cases, including hate speech cases in 2022 and 2023, a road-blocking case in Chhajlat in 2023, a fake birth certificate case in 2023, a house vandalism case in Dongarpur in 2024 and a case involving objectionable remarks against a former Rampur district magistrate in May 2026. He has challenged convictions through appeals.Yadav had previously visited Rampur on October 5, 2025, when Khan was briefly out on bail, and met him and his family at their residence.
Khan later travelled to Lucknow and met Yadav at the SP chief's residence on November 7, 2025.The latest meeting comes as political parties prepare for the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, with the SP and BJP sharpening their attacks on each other.- Ends