Cancel my son-in-law's ticket: Bukhari

Lucknow, April 6 (IANS) The Shahi Imam of Delhi's Jama Masjid, Syed Ahmed Bukhari, Friday asked Samajwadi Party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav to revoke the legislative council ticket of his son-in-law Umar Khan.

Accusing the Samajwadi Party of not paying enough heed to Muslims, Bukhari, in a one-page letter, also slammed senior Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan for his "unsavoury remarks".

Pointing out that he had not sought any ticket for his son-in-law, Bukhari asked Mulayam Singh Yadav to "seriously and honestly work for the welfare of Muslims instead".

He also said that he had asked for a Rajya Sabha ticket for Yahya, his brother, but Mulayam Yadav had not paid any heed to the request.

Azam Khan and Imam Bukhari have been at daggers drawn for years and the former has always been opposed to mixing religion with politics.

After Mulayam Singh gave a ticket to Bukhari's son-in-law Thursday, Azam Khan had commented: "Religious people should not be rewarded by the party."

Having fallen out a few years back, Bukhari and Mulayam Yadav had patched up in the run up to the state elections. Bukhari appealed to Muslims in Uttar Pradesh to support the Samajwadi Party.