Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Party ( BSP ) chief Mayawati on Thursday said she does not meet anyone on the sly and prefers meeting people openly, a remark that was ostensibly aimed at negating the buzz about the possibility of arch rival Samajwadi Party’s most prominent Muslim face Azam Khan joining her party.

Though the suspense over Khan’s next political move was over on Wednesday itself, with Khan, out on bail after 23 months in jail, warmly welcoming his party chief Akhilesh Yadav at his Rampur home, this was the first time Mayawati touched on the subject, though in a veiled manner.

“Since last month, the rumour about a senior leader from another party joining the BSP has been spread. It was also said that the said leader had already met the BSP chief at Delhi and Lucknow. But as

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