Rampur (Uttar Pradesh): Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan said that he, along with his family, will leave his native home in Rampur of Uttar Pradesh if it is proven that he has insulted Hindu deities. Khan was addressing a rally here on Sunday ahead of the Lok Sabha bypoll scheduled for June 23. Khan sought votes for his party candidate and long-time aide Asim Raja.
Will leave Rampur if proven I insulted any Hindu deity: Azam Khan “I was the convener of the Babri Masjid movement. If you produce evidence that I spoke against or insulted any Hindu deity, I will leave Rampur with the whole family and will never show my face to the people of Rampur. My religion teaches me not to insult the deities of other religions,” he said. Khan's statement came in the backdrop of controversial statements by ex-BJP functionaries Nupur Sharma and Naveen Jindal against the Prophet of Islam.
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Khan said the hate speeches by the BJP leaders were aimed at provoking Muslims. “Don't fall prey to their plans. The enemy is waiting for the opportunity. I appeal to people to maintain peace. Hatred cannot be eliminated with hatred. Like water is needed to extinguish the fire, love is needed to eliminate hate,” he said. He said the communal harmony was intact in Rampur since 1942 till date and appealed to people to uphold the decades-old tradition.
On the occasion, Khan also alleged that the Yogi Adityanath government “wanted to kill me inside jail, but did not want to own my murder”. “But, they left no stone unturned to kill me and my family. They kept us in the Sitapur Jail, which is known as suicide jail to get us eliminated one by one,” he alleged. “If you want revenge for my sorrows, then don't stay at home on June 23 (poll day). None of my mothers, sisters, or daughters should stay in their houses,” he said. Senior office-bearers of SP, including Khan's MLA son Abdullah Azam Khan and Chamroa MLA Naseer Ahmed Khan were present on the occasion.
