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Row between Ministers intensifies

Azam Khan's dream to set up a varsity at Rampur is to pursue personal agenda: Quereshi

Lucknow: The verbal spat between two high profile Ministers of the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government in Uttar Pradesh intensified on Friday with the Minister of State for Haj, Haji Yakoob Quereshi, lambasting Urban Development Minister Mohd Azam Khan for his ``anti-Muslim attitude.''

Talking to media here, Mr Quereshi alleged Mr Khan always worked against the Muslims and his dream to set up a varsity at Rampur was to pursue his personal agenda.

Charging Mr Khan with registering land for the proposed Maulana Mohd Ali Jauhar University in the name of his relatives, he claimed the Minister should return Rs. 10 lakhs to the people of Meerut, who had donated funds for the varsity. ``The donation was meant for the uplift of the community in education sector, but Mr Khan used it for his personal benefit,'' he stated.

Earlier to a similar allegation, Mr Khan had asked Mr Quereshi to give the names of the people, who had given donations so that he could return their contributions through money order.

Mr Quereshi will hold a Muslim rally under the banner of All India Muslim Ekta Manch at Ramlila ground in New Delhi on May 14. ``I have not invited Mr Azam Khan to the rally as people do not accept him as a pro-Muslim leader,'' he quipped.

Mr Quereshi said several prominent Muslim religious leaders including the Shahi Imam of Jama Masjid had been invited for the rally, which would discuss ``the misuse of the community for vote bank.''

Action against Khan sought

Kanpur: Denouncing the protests against the Governor, T V Rajeswar, his predecessor Romesh Bhandari has demanded ``stern action'' against Mr. Azam Khan for preventing a Constitutionally appointed person from discharging his duties.

``The posts of President and Governor are Constitutional and responsibilities and decisions taken by them should not be criticised. The launching of a movement by a Minister is not right and the government should take stern action against such a Minister,'' the Congress leader told reporters here.

He said the Governor was within his rights to ``dismiss such a Minister himself or he could ask the Chief Minister to remove him from the Cabinet''.

Mr. Bhandari, who is a former Governor of Uttar Pradesh and Tripura, referred to an incident during his tenure in Tripura. A State Minister had made a statement against him for which he sought an immediate reply from the Chief Minister. The Minister was summoned and asked for a clarification, he said.

The post was a prestigious one and a Minister who had taken oath before the Governor cannot ``open a front against him'', he said. There should be a proper understanding between the Governor and the Chief Minister but if it did not exist, the two ``should act like every thing was okay''. He recalled that when he was Uttar Pradesh Governor there were conflicts with the BJP Government because of his decisions but he was not against the BJP.

PTI, UNI

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