Prove Azam's charge or apologise: BJP to Akhilesh

New Delhi: Hitting out at SP leader Azam Khan for his "PM met Dawood" claim, BJP on Sunday asked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to either prove his cabinet colleague's charges or apologise for the "baseless remark".

BJP also targeted Azam Khan over the Muzaffarnagar riots and slammed him for "touching new low in his practice of vote bank politics", saying his remarks are a "desperate attempt to hide the failures of Akhilesh government and divide people".

"Azam Khan should either prove his charges or Akhilesh Yadav should apologise for levelling such malicious and baseless charges against the PM," BJP national secretary Shrikant Sharma said.

"Mufazzarnagar riots are Azam Khan's creation. It was under his pressure that UP police failed to act against molesters in Muzaffarnagar. This inaction sowed the seeds of riots which took a communal colour."

"All probes have highlighted Azam Khan's role in Muzaffarnagar riots.... His latest remarks make up yet another attempt to divide the society for appeasement and vote bank politics, and to cover up for Akhilesh government's governance failures in UP," Sharma said.

Training the guns on Akhilesh Yadav, the BJP leader said despite his young age and engineering education, the UP Chief Minister has been "unable to break free from the appeasement brand of his father Mulayam Singh and fundamentalist Azam Khan".

"Akhilesh Yadav's performance as UP Chief Minister has been disappointing. His image is in tatters.

"His cabinet colleague's false charges against the PM are a means of deflecting attention from SP's failings, and attempts to polarise people as UP elections draw closer, " Sharma said.

BJP alleged that all UP leaders be it Mayawati, Mulayam Singh or those from Congress have ruined the state and are now trying to create an atmosphere of negativity and hurdles in the path of PM Modi.

"UP citizens don't have to access to even basic power, water, health and education facilities. Law and order situation is deteriorating with each passing day.

"The state is being run by Azam Khan which is why its crime graph is rising. Akhilesh Yadav has no control left over the UP administration nor can he rein in Azam Khan, known for his controversial remarks," Sharma said.

Government had yesterday rubbished as "false and baseless" the allegation of Azam Khan, who plumbed new depths to claim that the Prime Minister had met underworld don Dawood Ibrahim in Lahore at the residence of his Pakistani counterpart Nawaz Sharif during his Christmas Day visit.