SP leader suspended for demanding Rajya Sabha seat for Yakub Memon’s widow

The Samajwadi Party on Saturday suspended Maharashtra SP vice-president Mohammed Farooq Ghosi a day after he requested Mulayam Singh Yadav to nominate 1993 Mumbai serial blasts convict Yakub Memon’s wife as a Rajya Sabha MP.

A Samajwadi Party spokesperson said state and city unit chief Abu Asim Azmi took the decision barely a day after Ghosi made the demand. Earlier, Azmi had sought an explanation from Ghosi for his controversial demand.

Ghosi had even tried to water down the issue later by saying that what he wrote in the letter was his personal opinion. He had also said that he did not consult any party leader before sending the letter to Mulayam Singh Yadav.

Two days after Memon was hanged in the Nagpur Central Jail, Ghosi in a letter to Yadav had described Memon’s wife Raheen as “helpless”.