LUCKNOW: Having led a 17-member delegation of legislators and ministers from Uttar Pradesh to a 20-day "study tour" of Turkey, Greece, Netherlands, UK and UAE, senior minister in Akhilesh cabinet Mohammad Azam Khan, on Sunday, gave a communal spin to controversy over the tour. He said Bharatiya Janata Party ( BJP ) was pointing fingers at the tour because they cannot tolerate seeing a Muslim leader from UP heading a delegation to Commonwealth countries. Azam Khan's statement was issued by Shanu Khan, his media in charge in Rampur, on Sunday.

"No questions were raised when BJP state president Laxmikant Bajpayi and former Vidhan Sabha speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi went on similar tours earlier. Why make a noise now," he questioned. "The problem of the communal forces is that despite best efforts, a Muslim like "ghareeb" (poor in Urdu) Azam Khan is leading the tour and this will lead to empowerment of Muslims," he said.

The delegation on Sunday visited the International court of justice in Holland. On Saturday, the delegation had called upon the Governor of Istanbul as well. Azam's comments were apparently an attempt to establish that the study tour has an academic significance even for members who have several criminal cases including that of rape pending against them.

Part of UP's Commonwealth Parliamentary Association, the tour for which the members have contributed Rs 2 lakh each has eight cabinet ministers led by Azam Khan. Members include BJP MLA Seema Dwivedi and RLD's Pooran Prakash apart from Principal Secretary Vidhan Sabha Pradeep Dubey among others. Though CM Akhilesh Yadav , PWD minister Shivpal Yadav, Assembly Speaker Mata Prasad Pandey and Congress legislative party Leader Pradeep Mathur were also members of the delegation, they later withdrew their names.

The BJP had on Saturday had criticised the SP government in UP of sponsoring the tour instead of utilising the same amount for relief and rehabilitation of the Muzaffarnagar riot victims. About the riot victims, Azam said people of Muzaffarnagar know how much he has done for them. "They know what the communal forces must be aware of but don't want to acknowledge it," Azam said.

The study tour has been in the eye of the storm with opposition parties targeting the government for giving undue preference to the tour and depriving the riot victims of their right to live by overlooking their needs.

