Intensifying attack on the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh (UP) over the Mathura violence, BJP president Amit Shah on Saturday demanded resignation of UP PWD minister and the Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Shivpal Yadav, holding him responsible for the incident.
Akhilesh Yadav ji, if you have to maintain your chacha-bhatija relationship, you should tell the public that you are not related to them.Amit Shah, President, BJP
Shah’s attack came against the backdrop of BJP state chief Keshav Prasad Maurya alleging that the attackers were “goons of PWD minister Shivpal Singh Yadav”.
Virtually blowing the bugle for the 2017 state Assembly elections, Shah said law-and-order situation in Uttar Pradesh has been reduced to mockery.
An SP is killed in broad day light. An SHO is killed. More than 200 people open fire on the police with rifles and explosives, but our minister, sitting at the Lucknow secretariat, patronised them and did not allow the police to retaliate.Amit Shah
Hitting back at Shah, Shivpal Yadav later said Shah’s comments are misleading and aimed at creating confusion.
If he has any proof then he should make it public, otherwise he should apologise for his statement which is aimed at tarnishing my image.Shivpal Singh Yadav, PWD Minister, Uttar Pradesh
Yadav also attacked BSP supremo Mayawati, who had criticised Akhilesh Yadav for not taking the Mathura incident, which killed 24 people, seriously.
The former UP Chief Minister, Mayawati also demanded a CBI or court-monitored probe into the deadly incident. She likened the NDA rule to that of the Congress’ UPA rule, calling them two sides of the same coin.
Chiming in with Mayawati, Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal also demanded a Supreme Court-monitored SIT probe into the Mathura violence and alleged that the criminals were patronised by the “higher-ups”.
24 people, including an SP and SHO, were killed in clashes between police and members of a sect who had encroached on government land in Mathura on Thursday.
(With inputs from PTI.)
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