Kamaal quits, calls SP ‘Abu Pvt Ltd’

Hours before he withdrew his Lok Sabha nomination from Mumbai North-West on a Samajwadi Party ticket on Friday, actor-turned-politician Kamaal Rashid Khan accused SP’s state president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi of running the party as a private limited company. “I thought SP was being run by Mulayam Singh Yadav, Ram Gopal Yadav and Akhilesh Yadav. I found it the other day that in Maharashtra it is ‘Abu Private Limited Company’ being run by Abu Asim Azmi and his son Farhan.” Khan alleged the Azmis had entered a secret alliance with Shiv Sena.“Abu Azmi’s company has got a contract of Rs 200 crore for garbage disposal from the Shiv Sena-ruled BMC.” Farhan retorted that it was his father who ensured the late Balasaheb Thackeray went to jail for inciting violence. “We have also taken on Raj Thackeray on the north Indian issue.” Abu Azmi, too, dismissed Khan’s statements as baseless. “When we gave him the ticket, we had not checked his background. We later realized our mistake and asked him to quit,” said Azmi who also clarified the BMC tender was to a company where he was just a minor partner. Meanwhile, Khan hinted he may now contest as an independent.