‘Ravana Changed His Disguise For One Day’: Akhilesh Yadav’s Veiled Jibe At Owaisi | India News

Last Updated:October 22, 2026, 15:51 IST

Owaisi had earlier slammed Akhilesh Yadav and the INDIA bloc, accusing them of selective outrage over arrests and ignoring Muslim leaders.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav. (PTI File Photo)

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav hit back at AIMIM MP Asaduddin Owaisi for claiming that his party does not want Muslims to emerge as leaders, shortly after the Opposition leader visited jailed senior party leader Azam Khan in Rampur.

Yadav landed at the Jauhar University helipad and was received by Khan’s family members and party workers before he went to Rampur district jail to visit Khan. The SP president had visited Khan last year, when the latter was out on bail for a brief period.

VIDEO | Uttar Pradesh: Samajwadi Party Chief Akhilesh Yadav arrives at Rampur Jail to meet party leader Azam Khan.

(Full video available on PTI Videos – https://t.co/d8jp61yd2p) https://t.co/1jZzd5l92i

— Press Trust of India (@PTI_News) October 22, 2026

Khan Sahib. Azam was, Azam is, and Azam will remain. No family has faced as much injustice as his family. No political family has faced as much injustice as the family of the respected Azam Khan Sahib,” he said, accusing the BJP government of filing false cases against the veteran party leader.

Akhilesh Yadav also said he had a long discussion with Khan over the upcoming Assembly elections, and he brought a list concerning seat-sharing with alliance partners.

“The Samajwadi Party’s goal is clear: to defeat the BJP. Every Samajwadi Party worker is ready to work towards this objective. The BJP leaders will have to face the consequences of their actions. The people of Uttar Pradesh will erase the BJP from the state’s political landscape once and for all,” he said.

Akhilesh Yadav’s Veiled Dig At Owaisi

Responding to Owaisi’s statement about Muslims being ignored by the SP in favour of Yadavs, Akhilesh said, “Even Ravan had changed his disguise and gone away for just one day, taking Sita Maa with him. But here, the disguise has been maintained for so many years.”

Owaisi had earlier slammed Akhilesh Yadav and the INDIA bloc, accusing them of selective outrage over arrests. He alleged that Muslim leaders were often ignored by the opposition parties, while Yadavs got support.

The AIMIM MP told CNN-News18 that Akhilesh Yadav would never have met the Muslim leader in jail if Owaisi had not raised the issue, but would have held a roadshow if the same had happened to a Yadav.

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What did Akhilesh Yadav say in response to Asaduddin Owaisi’s remarks about Muslim leadership?

Akhilesh Yadav responded with a veiled jibe, stating that even Ravana changed his disguise for just one day, whereas the current disguise has been maintained for years. He made these comments after visiting jailed senior party leader Azam Khan in Rampur district jail.

Why did Akhilesh Yadav visit Rampur district jail recently?

Akhilesh Yadav visited Rampur district jail to meet jailed veteran party leader Azam Khan and held a long discussion with him concerning the upcoming Assembly elections and seat-sharing with alliance partners.

What allegations did Asaduddin Owaisi make against the Samajwadi Party and Akhilesh Yadav?

Asaduddin Owaisi accused the Samajwadi Party of selective outrage over arrests and alleged that opposition parties ignore Muslim leaders while giving support to Yadavs. He claimed that Akhilesh would not have visited Azam Khan in jail if Owaisi had not raised the issue.

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Aveek Banerjee

Aveek Banerjee is a Senior Sub Editor at News18. Based in Noida with a Master’s in Global Studies, Aveek has more than three years of experience in digital media and news curation, specialising in int…Read More

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