Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav had a heated exchange in assembly Saturday, after the latter targeted the state government over deteriorating law and order.
Just before the CM was to start his speech on the Governor’s address to the assembly, Akhilesh asked Adityanath to first talk about the state’s policy of “zero-tolerance” towards crime, mentioning the daylight shooting of Umesh Pal, the prime witness in the 2005 murder of Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) MLA Raju Pal, in Prayagraj Friday.
Gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed is an accused in both murder cases. A five-time MLA from Allahabad West constituency, he is currently lodged in jail, from where he has fought several elections. In 2004, Atiq Ahmed was elected as a Lok Sabha MP from Phulpur on an SP ticket. He was expelled from the party in 2008.
Responding to Akhilesh in the assembly, Adityanath said the Prayagraj murder was a sad incident and the government had taken cognisance of the matter. “…I assure the house that the results of the government’s policy of zero-tolerance (towards crime) that we are following…will come soon. There should be no doubt about it,” he asserted.
Adityanath then exclaimed angrily: “But who has bred these criminals and mafia? Is it not true that the mafia against whom the FIR is lodged was made an MP by the Samajwadi Party? You will nurture criminals, garland them, and then point fingers (at the government). Ap log tamasha kar rahe hain (you people are indulging in drama).”
In a sharp retort to this, Akhilesh said the ‘mafia’ in question was associated with the BSP. Atiq Ahmed’s wife Shaista Parveen had joined the BSP along with her supporters in January.
“You are friends with the BSP, which is why you are not naming that party,” Akhilesh told Adityanath, who belongs to the BJP.
“I am also speaking on that,” replied the CM. “Is it not true that Atiq Ahmed, against whom the victim’s family has lodged a complaint, is a mafia nurtured by the Samajwadi Party and our government has broken his backbone? And I am again saying this, we will crush this mafia (mitti me mila denge).”
He added: “They (SP) are guardians of professional criminals, crime runs through their veins. The entire state knows about it.”
His words led to SP MLAs resorting to protests and sloganeering in the house.
“That mafia is outside Uttar Pradesh (in a Gujarat jail) and he has become an MLA and MP with support from the SP repeatedly. Is it not true that in 1996, that mafia became an MLA from Allahabad West with support from the Samajwadi Party? In 2004, that mafia became an MP with the support of these people,” said Adityanath, adding that the SP was indulging in “chori aur seena zori (indulging in wrong and then blaming others for it)”.
The SP MLAs then went on enter the well of the house in protest.
Also read: How ‘pride of Prayagraj’ became latest flashpoint in tussle between UP netas & officials
‘Mitti mein mila denge’
Talking about Umesh Pal’s murder, Akhilesh asked: “There is daylight shooting, bombs are being hurled, and a witness is killed. What are the police doing? What is the government doing? Where are the double engines? Is this a film shooting?”
The SP chief told Speaker Satish Mahana that while his party too wanted criminals to be eliminated, the law must take its course.
“We too want that criminals should be eliminated but what is this language ‘mitti mein mila denge’? The law of the land will send them to jail. Is the Prayagraj incident an ordinary incident? And you want to bring investment (to UP)?” asked Akhilesh, amid sloganeering by his party MLAs.
Speaker Mahana asked the SP MLAs to listen to the CM and told them to return to their seats, saying that Adityanath had used the phrase “mitti mein mila denge” for criminals and mafia, and there was nothing wrong in it as the “entire state would want such an action”.
“What is wrong in it? He has said that criminals will be put to the ground… everybody would want that… you will also want that. Whosoever is behind the incident should be razed to the ground,” said Mahana.
The MLAs stopped protesting after Akhilesh asked the Speaker to hold a debate on the issue Monday.
(Edited by Nida Fatima Siddiqui)
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