New Delhi: The game of politics is truly peculiar. There is no telling when a political adversary might become a friend, or vice versa. In politics, even blood relatives often turn into rivals, and long-standing ancestral enemies sometimes join forces. The country’s political landscape is dotted with families that have drifted apart. The politics of Saharanpur in Western UP has also frequently been a topic of discussion.
For decades, politics here has revolved around the Qazi family. The political journey that began with Qazi Masood was later propelled to new heights by Union Minister Qazi Rashid Masood. Subsequently, his nephew, Imran Masood, took charge of this legacy. He is currently the Member of Parliament (MP) for Saharanpur, representing the Congress party. However, are you aware that a conflict within this political family has now spilt out into the open?
A family once grappling with internal differences is now openly hostile towards one another, frequently targeting each other on social media. On one side stands Imran Masood’s nephew, Hamza, while on the other are Shayan Masood and Shadan Masood. Shayan Masood has openly admitted to ideological differences with Imran Masood, bringing the family feud out into the public eye.
War of Words Within the Qazi Family
A rift is widening within the Qazi family, a situation that could lead to future difficulties for them. The bitterness in their relationships became apparent when Congress MP Imran Masood publicly stated that he would not field any family member in the upcoming assembly elections. Just days after this statement, his son-in-law, Shayan Masood, and cousin, Shadan Masood, travelled to Lucknow and joined the Samajwadi Party (SP).
Upon joining the SP, Shayan Masood openly acknowledged his ideological differences with Congress MP Imran Masood. This brought the internal family feud out into the open, moving the conflict from behind closed doors to the streets. While Imran Masood has maintained silence on the matter so far, his nephew Hamza Noman has adopted an aggressive stance, launching scathing attacks against Shayan.
The Qazi Family’s Political Dominance in Saharanpur
The Qazi family has long held significant sway over Saharanpur’s politics, an influence that continues to this day. The legacy began with Qazi Masood and his paternal uncle, Qazi Hanif. Qazi Hanif entered politics and won elections to become the Pradhan (village head) and subsequently the Chairman of Gangoh. Following in his footsteps, Qazi Masood later became Chairman and, in 1969, entered the Legislative Assembly as an independent MLA.
Qazi Masood had four sons
Arshad, Irshad, Rashid, and Rasheed Masood. Among them, the eldest sons Arshad and Irshad became professors, while Rashid Masood and Rasheed Masood chose politics as their career. Upon returning from Aligarh Muslim University, Rasheed Masood established himself among the public as Qazi Masood’s primary political heir. He won his first election in 1974 from the Nakur Assembly constituency, becoming an MLA. Rasheed Masood went on to become a Member of Parliament (MP) and a Union Minister, earning the Qazi family national recognition. The family holds a distinct identity not only in Saharanpur but across Uttar Pradesh.
Meet the Political Heirs
Rashid Masood has two sons: Imran Masood and Noman Masood. Meanwhile, former Union Minister Rasheed Masood has an only son, Shadan Masood. Following Rashid Masood’s death, Imran and Noman have remained fully active in politics.
Imran Masood has five daughters, while Noman Masood’s son is named Hamza Noman. On the other hand, Rashid Masood’s son, Shadan Masood, has two sons: Shayan Masood and Ayan Masood. Congress MP Imran Masood married one of his daughters to Shayan Masood, the son of his cousin Shadan; consequently, Shayan is also Imran Masood’s son-in-law.
