Uttar Pradesh minister Danish Azad Ansari on Monday targeted senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan and said the days of those who considered Rampur as their "bapauti" (fiefdom) were over.
The Minister of State for Minority Welfare was addressing a party programme in Bajauri Tola where several Samajwadi Party (SP) workers, including Aamir Qamar Khan, considered close to Azam Khan, joined the BJP.
Ansari said, "Allah has allowed the people of Rampur to defeat the thinking that considers them their 'bapauti'. Start a new cycle of development by defeating such people."
Taking a dig at Azam Khan, he said, "The days of people who consider Rampur as their fiefdom are over. This time the people of Rampur are standing with the development being done by the BJP. People of Rampur will break barriers of religion and vote for the BJP."
The Rampur Sadar Assembly constituency fell vacant after Azam Khan was disqualified as MLA following his conviction by an MP-MLA court in a 2019 hate speech case.
Campaigning in Muslim-dominated areas of Rampur, Ansari, the only Muslim minister in Uttar Pradesh, said, "Azam Khan got the votes of Muslims by showing them the fear of the BJP. In return, they did not get their reasonable rights."
The bypoll for the seat will be held on December 5.
