Left parties accuse UP government of ‘lax’ attitude

Expressing concern over violence in Muzaffarnagar and adjoining areas, Left parties on Monday sought stringent action against the culprits and blamed the administration for allowing “communal” elements to exploit the situation due to their “lax” attitude.

“The large-scale riot was sparked off by a small incident which occurred nearly ten days earlier but the laxity of the administration has allowed the communal elements to exploit the situation,” the CPI(M) Polit Bureau said in a statement in New Delhi.

While the state government has “not shown the vigilance required to curb such incidents promptly”, the role of BJP and RSS in “fomenting tensions has been there and, in Muzaffarnagar too, this is evident,” it alleged.

The statement demanded firm action to end the violence and arrest of the culprits and asked the administration to involve all sections of the people to restore peace and amity.

In a separate statement, the CPI Central Secretariat also attacked the state administration for “belatedly” calling out the army to restore peace and order.

Maintaining that “stalwarts of BJP and Sangh Parivar have been named for inciting the people to resort to killings and arson against members and properties of the minority community,” it alleged this was part of “the nefarious design of the communal BJP for its political and electoral gains.”

“The government should have acted immediately after two media persons were killed in front of a so-called ‘Maha Panchayat’ The state administration showed incompetence and inefficiency in controlling the situation,” it said.

Attacking the Samajwadi Party government for being “lax in curbing the communal outbursts and countering the aggressive machinations of Sangh Parivar and communal forces of minority community,” it said the state government should take immediate action against erring district officials.

“This is the culmination of communal tension breaking into occasional riots that have gripped UP for the last few months,” it observed and sought strict and effective measures against all the communal instigators and hooligans.

“They should be apprehended and immediately prosecuted,” it said, adding that peace committees should be formed to restore the traditional harmony that has always been the ’Ganga-Jamuni’ culture of Uttar Pradesh.