Akhilesh meets sulking Azam

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today met sulking cabinet colleague Azam Khan in an apparent bid to mollify him, a day after Mulayam Singh Yadav sought to play down a face-off with the party leader.
Akhilesh reached the official residence of Khan, who had criticised his own government's handling of Muzaffarnagar riots, this evening and stayed there for about 30 minutes, before leaving without talking to the newsmen.
The party leaders, however, did not disclose what transpired between Akhilesh and Azam during the meeting.
Azam had skipped the ruling party's two-day national executive meet here after he was reportedly unhappy with his own government's handling of the Muzaffarnagar riots, that have claimed the lives of more than 40 persons.

This had drawn sharp reaction from party's two national general secretary Ram Gopal Yadav, but later yesterday, Mulayam had denied any rift with Azam, saying the leader can never be "upset" with him.
The SP supremo said the party knew that why Azam did not attend the meeting. "Our's is a democratic party and not an autocratic one," he had said.
The stand taken by Mulayam was in contrast to Ramgopal's remark earlier in the day that either Azam should have attended the meet or resigned.
Ramgopal had also said that Azam's absence was not felt at the meet.