By Haider Abbas
Who is the most credible Muslim political face in UP? “Muhammed Azam Khan, and none other than him”, was my instant response to Prateek Kapil, the political advisor to Royal Danish Embassy, New Delhi, on December 6, who had come to assuage the political-waters in UP. Two days later, I was on my way to Sitapur Jail, around 80 kms to the North of Lucknow, with my RTPCR done, to meet the political stalwart, MA Khan, stranded in jail, since February 26, 2020. Someone, who has been denied bail, despite to have suffered by COVID-19 along with his son Abdullah Azam Khan, M.Tech by qualifications, who too is in jail. Abdullah’s mother Tazeen Fatima, was also in jail until she has been granted bail. MA Khan is a sitting Member of Parliament, his son and wife are MLAs to UP Assembly. Both husband and wife have been Ex. Rajya Sabha MPs too.
Since, the receeding of Corona-wave, it has become a bit easy to get access to Sitapur Jail, or else the whole last year, every request was banged against the wall, and when MA Khan along with his son were shifted to Medanta Hospital, Lucknow, despite being in ‘isolation zone’ I was at the hospital every third-fourth day, with his health updates to his family and friends, much to their consolation. I had met MA Khan in early 1993, immediately in the aftermath of the Babri Masjid demolition, and since then have followed his ‘life-and-times’ in the capacity of an unofficial political biographer.
MA Khan has been a nine time MLA from Rampur, UP. He became a co-convener of Babri Masjid Action Committee (BMAC), shortly after Babri Masjid locks were opened, on February 1, 1986. Today, immediately after the 30th anniversary, of the demolition of Babri Masjid of December 6, 1992, MA Khan, had to be subdued, more so, when the whole demolition exercise has been waived-off, in the wake of the Supreme Court Order of November 30, 2019. No demolition accused is ever to be expected to be brought to justice now. This is what may be rightly called as a blow-to-the-legal process in our country. Babri Masjid locks were opened at the behest of Congress Party.
It was exactly at 12:30 pm we were allowed entry, after the screening of RTPCR and seals-for-entry were done, to find MA Khan, a bit mellowed-down, with a surgical mask, while around 20 people, sat around him. Preeti Tiwari, a Secretary in Samajwadi Party Women’s wing was overwhelmed by her wet eyes, she told that it was her fifth-attempt coming to Sitapur Jail when finally she was let-in. MA Khan responded that he is in for welcome-for-everyone and that jail-authorities decide unilaterally on things like that. She would then chronicle as to how Brahmins, the Upper Caste Hindus, have been let-down by the BJP government and how the simmering anger of Brahmins, over their murders and fake-encounters have taken place in the last five years, how even juvenile Brahmin girls have been thrown into jails etc all this is to see BJP pay for it. She would commend that it is only MA Khan who has the capacity to stamp the making of governments. A group of Sikhs, from Bilaspur, UP just rubbed their moist-eyes as while they sat overtaken by emotion. Vijay Singh (Ex. MLA), Asif Ali Babu Khan (Ex. MLA), etc apart from people who were grass-root workers from Sitapur, Muradabad, Shahjehanpur, Rampur etc were all present.
One of them, whose family members had submitted their sureties for MA Khan, in the over 100 cases filed against him, informed that they were all ‘called-in’ by police and were blatantly put as to why did they put their surety for MA Khan? To which he replied, obviously for the fact that he is their leader. Another one told that he was kidnapped by police and bundled into a van and was not allowed to file his nomination papers until the time lapsed in Panchayat elections 2021. It also did come to light that some of the supporters of MA Khan have volunteered to rent houses for the people who come to Sitapur and have to stay for days to seek to meet MA Khan and cannot afford a hotel. Even on December 8, around 20 people stood outside but could not have their turn. The meeting time is until 2 pm.
MA Khan, would then delve onto the lives of Maulana Fazle Haq Khairabadi, who was put into Cellular Jail at Andaman Islands and had contemplated suicide but for the diktat of Almighty Allah that such an act is prohibited as a tenet of Islam, and Maulana Muhammed Ali Jauhar, whose imprints are all available inside the Karachi Jail-both opposed the British government and contributed hugely towards “our independence movement, but, are ironically alienated in their own homeland, courtesy the communalistic politics of BJP,” he averred, before adding that BJP has tried to “ooze the pain out of him but what he still does not know is his crime? Even, a Magistrate reserves an order in my cases. I am to run to the Supreme Court for my bail where-in I had deserved a relief from a Magistrate,” he rued.
What surely came out of this meeting was the consummate ease with which he related, despite under the most atrocious circumstances, where even the ‘date and day’ has become immaterial. Yet, he was what may be deservingly attributed; clear-eyed, inspiring and incisive, and a passage of a continued story of a man with unassailable resistance, and the one who has remarkably made an indelible and a lasting mark on India’s political landscape. Before, we would bid adieu, he would accord everyone with a hug, move until the exit of his barrack with a promise that he would soon be coming out but this time with a bigger bang,
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The writer is a former UP State Information Commissioner and a political analyst.