Azam opts for wait and watch policy

Samajwadi Party's former posterboy, Azam Khan, is in no hurry to rejoin the party.

He wants to ensure that Muslims, who are annoyed with Mulayam because of his bonhomie with former chief minister Kalyan Singh in the last Lok Sabha election, will not desert him if he returned to the fold.

A committee of the Mashawarati Council floated by Azam met Mulayam on Sunday, posed seven questions to him and told him that Azam’s return would depend on his answers.

Azam was suspended in February 2009 for opposing Mulayam’s alliance with Kalyan and the Rampur Lok Sabha ticket for Jaya Prada.

But his suspension was revoked two weeks ago because Mulayam had realised that the exodus of the party’s Muslim leaders would mean the end of his political career.

However, Azam made it clear that he was in no hurry.

“ I respect Mulayam. But my differences with him were on ideological grounds. Muslims want to know Mulayam’s roadmap for them,” he said.