Allah takes decisions from heaven, on earth, I take them: Azam Khan in Rampur

NEW DELHI: Rampur Mein Upar Allah Faisle Karta Hai, Niche Hum (In Rampur, Allah takes decisions from heaven, on earth, I take them) -- this has been Mohd Azam Khan’s most oft-repeated comment when asked about the clout in the city from where he has been a nine-time MLA. His stamp in the city is unmistakable, from his nameplate on the parks, roads, the gates and a 350-acre university that Khan has built on the city’s outskirts.
The university has a ‘North Block’, a ‘South Block’, and even ‘Raisina Hills’, on the lines of the Delhi’s power centre, a wing dedicated to Mulayam Singh Yadav and one building has a host of paintings of just Azam Khan.

“This is like the University of Oxford,” Khan boasts to inquisitive journalists. In his first quest to become Rampur’s MP, Khan considered him to be unbeatable given that there are nearly 7.5 lakh Muslim voters on the seat. But he is surely rattled by the BJP fielding his bête-noire Jayaprada against him.

Khan’s diatribe against Jayaprada on Sunday at an election rally in Shahbad was waiting to happen, given the bitter history they have shared for the past decade. Azam Khan and his party supremo Akhilesh Yadav insist the comment was meant for Amar Singh. But Khan's record hardly inspires confidence. In the past, Khan had referred to Jayaprada as a nachne gane wali (dancer-singer), a pajeb (anklet) and someone who turned against her mentor in him. His hate for Samajwadi Party’s Amar Singh is even greater; Khan was instrumental in getting Singh sacked from the party in 2017 after convincing Akhilesh Yadav that Singh was misguiding his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Singh and Jayaprada joining BJP’s ranks have infuriated Khan further, leading to his khaki innerwear remarks on Sunday in the presence of former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav. The party had been tolerating such behaviour from Khan, conscious of him being the biggest Muslim face in the party with a solid following among the community. Khan, however, always tries to paint a secular image of him, pointing how he has named an auditorium in his university after Rabindernath Tagore or a wing after Mother Teresa.

There are factors working against Khan this time though. One, his domineering image and open Muslim appeal has polarised voters. Outside Rampur city, which is Khan’s fiefdom, the other assembly constituencies do not like him so much though his son Abdullah is the MLA from the Swar constituency. Khan has often said earlier why he should work for surrounding areas of Rampur when he was only the Rampur MLA, a comment that the BJP is milking in constituencies it is strong in such as Bilaspur and Millk.

Khan’s biggest challenge is, however, from his weakest link -- women voters, given his diatribe against women on many occasions in the past. Jayaprada has successfully built a case of being a victim of the same and appealed to woman voters to defeat Khan.

In fact, BJP has made it a point to bring many Muslim women to Jayaprada’s public meetings to send the message home. With the Rampur election being effectively made one of woman dignity by the BJP, and now with his own comments, Khan has a tough battle in his hands.