On the Road: This Khan’s no love lost for Jaya Prada

SP heavyweight Azam Khan uses a Rampuri back-stab twist in a vicious proxy war against Amar Singh

Akash Bisht Rampur Hardnews

With election dates approaching in the Rampur constituency, the infamous spat between Samajwadi Party's (SP) sitting MP Jaya Prada and senior leader Azam Khan is getting murkier. Jaya Prada recently said that she is fighting her "own party people" instead of political opponents. This rift between the two could pose a serious threat to SP's prospects in Rampur. The internal bickering within could well tilt the vote in favour of Begum Noor Bano of the Congress party.

Urban Rampur, considered a stronghold of Khan, is ready to desert SP if their leader asks them to do so. They will thus support the next best candidate -- ex-MP Bano who inherits the local nawab lineage. The Muslim voter in the city is of the view that Mulayam Singh Yadav has forfeited their trust by joining hands with Kalyan Singh and then, betraying Azam Khan for Amar Singh. This has further widened the differences. "Khan was one of the important voices of Muslims in UP and with Mulayam snubbing him the wrong way, the Muslim vote of the town might well end up in Begum sahiba's favour," said Chand Alam, a businessman.

At Shabbar Masjid in Rampur, hundreds of Muslims have gathered to offer their daily prayers. The recent political turmoil after the SP rift is one of the most debated topics. Noor Alam Khan, a zari worker, told Hardnews, "Amar Singh claims that he can win this seat with money power, but let me assure you that no Muslim in the city would want his money. We have always been with Azam Khan and we will do our best to salvage his pride. If he asks us to vote for Noor Bano then we'll do the same."

Many Muslims confide in hushed voices that Azam Khan is "secretly tilting the favour in support of Noor Bano". However, the Sikh and Hindu community support Jaya's candidature and praise her for several pro-development schemes initiated by her.

Jagdish Arora, an electrician, says, "Jaya gels well with the people while Azam is confined only to the city. Begum sahiba is hardly seen anywhere and Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi is in a strange situation. He is a Muslim and a candidate of BJP, so neither Hindus nor Muslims would vote for him." Naqvi, many believe, could have given a tough fight if he had contested as an independent. Locals say that he has worked hard for the town unlike Khan who only works for his urban areas. It is also being speculated that Khan is likely to float a new Muslim party after the elections with Assam's United Democratic Front chief, Haji Badruddin Azmal, who has now floated a national front and is spreading wings with other 'secular groups', especially after the outrage against Batla House encounter.  

However, people in rural Rampur believe that Jaya has an edge and Khan envies her rising popularity, and the increasing clout of Amar Singh. "I am a BSP supporter but I will vote for Jaya because of the development work that she has initiated in our villages. She has built bridges, roads and is far more accessible than the rest of the politicians in the area."

Karan Singh, Pradhan, of Kalyanpur village in Rampur district, is all praise for Jaya. He has won several awards, including the president's medal for best governance. The village has clean roads, underground sewers, proper sanitation and a big school with clean toilets. "She is an outsider but she has given more time to our villages then any other politician in the vicinity. She doesn't care about caste or political affiliations and helps those who are in need. She helps everyone and has even rented a house in our village and stays here quite often, mingles with the women and plays with the children. She is our candidate No. 1," Singh told Hardnews.