Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav on December 24 questioned the Uttar Pradesh government’s claim of “outsiders’ role” in the violent protests against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act in the State and wondered what the authorities did to stop the agitators.
The SP chief was speaking to reporters in Unnao after handing over a cheque of ₹5 lakh to the family of a rape survivor who died on December 21.
“The government is saying that people from West Bengal came here [to indulge in violence]... then what were you [government] doing? From Bengal, news is coming that some people [from BJP] were involved in arsoning after they changed their clothes,” Mr. Yadav said.
Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma on December 22 alleged “outsiders’ role” in the incidents of violence reported from various districts of the State where anti-CAA protests took place.
He had pointed out that persons hailing from West Bengal’s Malda district, associated with the Popular Front of India (PFI), had been arrested by the State police.
“All Indians are against CAA. The move has been initiated to divert attention of people from core issues,” Mr. Yadav said.
When asked about unveiling of statue of former Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee at a programme in Lok Bhawan in Lucknow on December 25, Mr. Yadav said, “Our CM [Yogi Adityanath] has done no work. BJP is showing SP’s work to the PM. We are happy PM is coming to see work of Samajwadis.”
Attacking the BJP further, Mr. Yadav said, “The BJP does contrary to what it says. It gave the slogan of ‘beti padhao, beti bachao’, but instead of educating and saving them, girls are forced to commit suicide in the present regime.”
The 23-year-old rape survivor passed away in Kanpur’s Hallet Hospital late on December 21 night.
On December 16, the woman, who had lodged a rape complaint over two months back, set herself ablaze outside the office of the senior superintendent of police here, officials said.
The woman suffered severe burns and was rushed to the district hospital, later referred to a hospital.
“The woman had lodged a rape complaint on October 2 against a person, with whom she was in relationship for the past 10 years. As he refused to marry her, she lodged an FIR on which the accused got anticipatory bail from the High Court,” the SP had said.
