Azam loses his cool on madrassa teachers

Lucknow: Minority affairs minister Azam Khan was left red-faced at a function organized to mark the Minorities Rights Day on Thursday where he was present as the chief guest. Facing sloganeering from some madrassa teachers, the minister lost his cool and threatened to leave the function midway.
Azam arrived two hours late at the programme held at the PWD auditorium here.When commission’s chairperson Shakeel Ahmad began his welcome speech, some members of Modern Madrassa Teachers Association stood up and started demanding regularisation of services and increase in wages.
Before anybody could intervene, Azam started chiding the teachers calling them ‘Israelis’ and ‘agents’ sent by opposition parties. He also dubbed them traitors like Mir Jafar. “I have already addressed your problems, even then it is not the right platform to raise such issues. Today’s function is for protection of the rights of all the minorities,” he said. The minister added that such protests show the misfortune of minorities and will pave way for their destruction. He sarcastically told the organizers to hand over the mementos given to him to the protesters.
As Azam stood up to leave, commission’s chairperson and members as well as some clerics rushed to pacify him, even as his supporters entered into heated arguments with teachers. Supporters also asked teachers to leave the place. After 10-minute drama, Azam agreed to stay. Later in his speech Azam ‘forgave' the protesters and sought forgiveness from those who were offended by his outburst. “We are all brothers and forgive each other in the larger interest,” he said. He also told teachers that their demands have been cleared by the state government and are pending with the governor.