SP chief Akhilesh Yadav to visit Rampur today to lend support to party leader Azam Khan who has 80 cases registered against him

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav will embark on a three-day-visit to Rampur and Bareilly on Friday. His visit gains significance in the backdrop of the fact that as many as 80 cases have been registered against SP leader and Rampur MP Azam Khan. This tour can be seen as an endeavour by the party chief to lend his support to Khan and his son, who have been embroiled in controversies from past few months. Multiple cases have been registered against Khan, including that of land grabbing and criminal intimidation. [caption id=“attachment_3508029” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  File image of Azam Khan. PTI[/caption] A case against his wife and two sons for allegedly encroaching upon government land in Rampur has also been registered. Yadav, on 9 September while addressing a press conference in Lucknow had announced his visit to the two cities. The former chief minister had already accused the administration of trying to prevent him from meeting party leader. However, the administration has maintained that the actions taken against Khan were in accordance with the law. Akhilesh would be participating in the various program in Bareilly and Rampur including meeting the students and teachers of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University, Rampur on Saturday. Akhilesh has batted in support of Khan saying that the cases against him are ‘political’. Azam Khan and his son Abdullah Azam, a Samajwadi Party legislator, are facing a number of cases, including those of land encroachment and trespassing.