BJP govt in UP attacking basic spirit of Constitution with dictatorial attitude: Akhilesh Yadav
Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP-led Uttar Pradesh government of "murdering democracy" and said that police stopping a party delegation from travelling to Bareilly at its behest is condemnable.
In a statement, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged that the BJP government is acting unconstitutional and undemocratic.
"The BJP government is resorting to dictatorship to hide its failures. The government is attacking the basic spirit of the Constitution with its dictatorial attitude," he said.
On Saturday, police stopped a delegation of Samajwadi Party leaders from travelling to Bareilly.
In the morning, Leader of Opposition in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Mata Prasad Pandey, was stopped by police personnel stationed outside his Lucknow residence when he moved towards his private vehicle to travel to the violence-hit city.
In a statement, Samajwadi Party spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said that police placed all members of the party delegation under house arrest. This included Mata Prasad Pandey; Lok Sabha MPs Harendra Malik, Iqra Hasan Choudhary, Ziaur Rahman Barq, Mohibullah Nadvi and Neeraj Maurya; former MPs Virpal Singh Yadav, Praveen Singh Aron and Shivcharan Kashyap; MLAs Ataur Rahman and Shahzil Islam Ansari; former minister Bhagwat Sharan Gangwar, and party leaders Shamim Khan Sultani and Shubhalesh Yadav.
This is condemnable and shameful, Akhilesh Yadav said.
"Just recently, a delegation led by senior Samajwadi Party leader and Rajya Sabha member Ramji Lal Suman was stopped," he said.
It is surprising that the district magistrate, citing prohibitory orders, has now prevented the Leader of the Opposition and the Samajwadi Party delegation from going to Bareilly, he added.
Yadav said the BJP government "should understand that it will achieve nothing by using its repression against the people of Bareilly."
He said the PDA (Backward, Dalit, Minority) has awakened, and the BJP's injustice and oppression will not stand in the face of PDA unity.
Let the Truth be known. If you read VB and like VB, please be a VB Supporter and Help us deliver the Truth to one and all.
Protesters clash with police during torch rally in Manipur
Imphal (PTI): People protesting the death of two children in a recent bomb blast in Manipur clashed with security forces during a torch rally in the state capital Imphal, police said.
Two children died in a bomb blast at Tronglaobi in Bishnupur on April 7. The Imphal Valley districts have been witnessing daily protests over the incident.
A seven-km-long torch rally was brought out from Mayai Lambi to Keishamthong in Imphal West district on Monday night, but the participants turned violent and clashed with the security forces, a police officer said.
Security forces fired several rounds of tear gas shells in Keishamthong area after hundreds of protesters defying curfew demanded they be allowed to proceed for another 200 metres towards Keisampat area, which is close to the Lok Bhavan and the BJP state office, he said.
ALSO READ: 5.2-magnitude quake jolts Manipur
Orders prohibiting the movement of any individuals outside their respective homes are in force in all the five valley districts from 5 pm to 5 am.
"Protesters pelted the security forces with stones and iron pellets from catapults, endangering the lives of the heavily outnumbered security forces," the officer said.
Manipur Police have, meanwhile, arrested 19 people for violating curfew and committing offences, including blocking roads and damaging public property, in the Greater Imphal area. They were nabbed from different parts of Imphal West district on Sunday, a police statement said.
In the Ukhrul district headquarters, a candlelight vigil was held on Monday night to honour the two Tangkhul Naga civilians who were killed in an ambush in TM Kasom area in the district on April 18.
Various civil society organisations from both the valley and hill areas strongly condemned the brutal killings, alleging that the victims were shot by Kuki militants using sniper rifles.
