The Samajwadi Party (SP) appears to be realizing that there is no vacuum in politics. They had longed for somebody to replace Azam Khan, the party's erstwhile Muslim face. The replacement is Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi.
AFTER BEING abused by MNS MLAs for taking oath in Hindi, Abu Azmi has become the national Hindi icon for Samajwadi party and party today honoured Azmi in his native place of Azamgarh. The SP wants to project Azmi not only as a Muslim leader, but also as a nationalist who fought for the "national language".
The Samajwadi Party (SP) appears to be realizing that there is no vacuum in politics. They had longed for somebody to replace Azam Khan, the party's erstwhile Muslim face. The replacement is Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi.
At the function Azmi said,” He will try to make Hindi the official language of the Maharashtra Assembly.
The recent by-elections have been a setback for SP, because Yadavs and Muslims have voted for either the Congress or the BSP," said a senior SP office-bearer. The party had been scrambling for a Muslim face and though it will be difficult to "sell" Azmi as easily as Azam Khan, he does appear to be at the right place at the right time. Sources said the SP was now banking on Azmi to regain the confidence of the minority community.
The party is also likely to draft firebrand Muslim leader Obaidullah Azami. "Obaidullah Azmi will be nominated to the Rajya Sabha next year when as many as seven members of the SP are retiring," said another party leader. With its present strength of 87 members in the UP Assembly, the SP can get elected a maximum of two members to the Upper House of Parliament
