Sitapur (UP), Nov 21 (PTI) Bhim Army chief and Azad Samaj Party-Kanshiram MP Chandrashekhar Azad on Thursday met jailed senior Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Azam Khan and urged the state government to pay attention to Khan's deteriorating health.
He met Khan, who is a former state minister, at the Sitapur District Jail .
Speaking to reporters after the meeting that lasted for about an hour, Azad said that Khan is not keeping well, and added that the government should pay attention to this matter.
He said, "Giving such a big punishment for a minor crime like stealing goats shows the government's ill will."
"It is not right to harass your political rivals like this because future generations are involved in this and they will have to pay the price for such political atrocities," the MP from Nagina seat added.
Khan has several cases against him, including theft of buffalo and goats.
Accusing the government of rigging the by-elections held on nine assembly seats in Uttar Pradesh on Wednesday, Azad said, "The government misused its administrative machinery in a way that was never seen before."
"This by-election is a question of prestige for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. If the BJP is not able to perform well in the by-election, then he will have to answer to Delhi (BJP top leadership)," he added.
On the suspension of five policemen for not following the instructions of the Election Commission, Azad said it was done due to wrongdoing in the by-election.
On the chief minister's slogan of "Batenge toh katenge" (divided we fall), Azad said, "If we take this slogan in another way, then it is a message for Dalits, minorities, tribals and backward classes that if they are divided, their rights will be curtailed from here to Delhi."
Azad said, "As many as 6,743 backward castes of the country are divided. Now the time has come that we should unite and end the effect of this division."