State minister Azam Khan. State minister Azam Khan.

Giving a clarion call to Muslims to turn into a political force that will decide the results of the next Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh in 2017, UP minister Azam Khan Friday urged minority community to keep the system under your control.

Elections are not far away. There will be efforts to instigate riots. The next elections will be won by your careful steps (Aapki hikmatamli sey jeeta jayega). You are going to be a political force. Keep the system under your control, Azam said.

Addressing a function in Lucknow to mark World Minorities Rights Day, Azam urged Muslims to take lessons from Bihar where BJP suffered a major electoral loss. You should take lessons from judicious thinking of people in Bihar. Our mothers and sisters took out their burqa and did not form a queue till 4 pm to prevent fascist forces from uniting…I cannot say everything openly, Azam said.

One verdict forced fascist forces indoors else they would have celebrated Diwali by burning our houses, he said adding that the Muslims are not against cow and Ganga, but when no other thing is left, then eyes turn towards us.

Hitting out at BJP, the minister said, Those who do politics on cow, have taken Rs 200 crore in donations from beef exporters. The party should tell how much money was taken in black.

In an apparent reference to the puppy analogy made allegedly by Prime Minister Narendra Modi before last year’s Lok Sabha polls, Azam said, Anybody says pilla, kutta (puppy, dog).

India is home to the second largest Muslim population in world but there is a plan to keep us hungry, naked and illiterate, he said adding It is not our issue, but a misfortune for India.

On the controversy over self-proclaimed Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari’s objectionable comments on Prophet, Azam said: An unknown person has become world famous…They should understand that our silence is not due to their threat but our religion stops us from replying in same words.

Lashing out at BSP president Mayawati, Azam said a video has gone viral on social media where Mayawati is seen saying that she asked her voters to support the BJP so that Muslims fall in line.

Without taking name of Hyderabad MP Asaduddin Owaisi, whose party AIMIM is trying to get a foothold in UP, Azam said: I don’t know who will be at a loss but I know that BJP will be benefitted.

The state minority welfare minister also apprehended that he may again face a ban like the one imposed on him by the Election Commission of India during the Lok Sabha polls last year. But, this time I will not adhere to the ban. I will prefer going to jail than losing freedom of speech, he added.

The minister also took potshots at Governor Ram Naik, who is yet to clear an ordinance which grants cabinet minister status to the chairman of the State Minority Commission. Perhaps he has some issue with the name of the minority commission…I did nothing wrong when I said he should become ‘pujari’ in some temple at Ayodhya, he said, adding If I am made the Imam of Delhi’s Jama Masjid, I will quit as a minister.

In the same vein, Azam also attacked Jama Masjid’s Shahi Imam Syed Ahmed Bukhari for calling him kafir (disbeliever).

On the recent controversy over a remark made by Aaamir Khan, Azam claimed that no harm was done to the actor because he (Azam) stood with him.

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