By Arpita Ghosh

Copyright timesnownews

Former Uttar Pradesh minister and Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan, recently released from Sitapur jail, has been admitted to Delhi’s Sir Ganga Ram Hospital. After meeting him on Saturday, former Rajya Sabha MP and journalist Shahid Siddiqui claimed that Khan and his son Abdullah were subjected to slow poisoning during their imprisonment, reports The Times of India. Siddiqui, who shared photos of the meeting on Facebook, wrote that Khan confided in him about the alleged attempt. “Azam Khan told me that both he and his son Abdullah were given slow poison in their food during imprisonment. When he realised what was happening, he stopped eating jail food and began cooking for himself. He firmly believes there was a conspiracy to eliminate him in the same way Mukhtar Ansari was killed,” Siddiqui said. He added that Khan’s suspicions grew after Mukhtar Ansari’s sudden death in custody earlier this year. According to Siddiqui, Khan said his health worsened in jail, his legs stopped functioning, and he was confined to a solitary cell too small to move around. Siddiqui further alleged that Khan believed his entire family was being targeted. “He told me the BJP wants to finish his family – his wife Tazeen Fatma, his sons, and him,” Siddiqui wrote. While Khan has often spoken of mistreatment in prison, neither he nor his family members have publicly confirmed the poisoning allegation. Khan, a 10-time MLA from Rampur, walked free last week after the Allahabad High Court granted him bail in a land encroachment case tied to the Quality Bar property. His name was added to the case nearly five years after the initial complaint. He had spent nearly two years in Sitapur jail. Azam Khan on Wednesday said that he is confident of clearing his name in the many cases against him and dismissed speculation that he might switch to the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). “I have faith that I will come out clean. I am confident I will get justice from the high court, and if not, from the Supreme Court. But perhaps that stage will not come,” the 77-year-old politician told reporters in Rampur. Rejecting talk of a possible shift to the BSP, Khan said he has always stood firm with the SP. “We have something called character. Character does not mean whether we hold a post or not; it means people love and respect us. And we are not for sale, we have proved that,” he said. Khan, who has faced charges of land grabbing and corruption, called the cases politically motivated. He also brushed aside speculation about differences within SP factions, saying, “I am a servant, a worker of the party. Don’t ignite a fire.” For all the latest news and india news, visit Times Now to get live updates and breaking news around the world.