Adityanath 'lacks courage' to face farmers on ground: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav
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Lucknow (PTI): Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath for conducting an aerial survey of crops, saying he "lacked the courage" to confront angry farmers on the ground.
Adityanath had carried out an aerial survey of maize crop on Sunday.
In a post on X, Yadav took a swipe at Adityanath’s survey, saying it was not time constraints but fear of public anger that kept him away from meeting farmers directly.
The former chief minister did not name anyone in the post but posted a news report of the survey.
"Those doing aerial surveys for agriculture are not short of time, but short of the 'courage' required to face the farmers’ anger on the ground," Yadav wrote in Hindi.
He further questioned the effectiveness of such surveys, asking whether stray cattle –- a major issue for farmers in the state -– can even be seen from such heights.
"Farmers are asking, can stray animals be seen from such an altitude?" he posted.
The remarks come amid growing complaints from farmers about crop damage due to unseasonal rains and the menace of stray cattle, an issue that has remained a concern in rural Uttar Pradesh.
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Two held for 'firing' at BJP leader's house in Bengal
Kolkata (PTI): A day before the counting of votes for the West Bengal assembly elections, two persons were arrested on Sunday for allegedly being involved in a firing incident outside the residence of a BJP leader in North 24 Parganas district, police said.
BJP leader Kundan Singh lodged a police complaint, alleging that a few gunmen fired at his house in the Noapara constituency around Saturday midnight.
Based on the CCTV footage, the two accused were apprehended, a senior officer said.
BJP's Noapara candidate Arjun Singh, in a post on social media, claimed that around 12.05 am, two armed miscreants arrived on a motorcycle at the residence of Kundan Singh, a BJP functionary and secretary of the Barrackpore organisational district, with an "intent to kill him".
According to the BJP leader, the accused are residents of Garulia and are known criminals.
Their names as offenders had been submitted to the Election Commission, he said.
The police officer did not specify whether the two arrested persons were the same individuals named by Arjun Singh.
According to the complaint, one round of firing took place outside Kundan Singh's house, triggering panic in the area.
The BJP candidate also questioned the role of the police, claiming that one of the accused had been detained by the police on the polling day but was later released in the evening.
The Noapara assembly seat went to the polls on April 29.
Several BJP leaders alleged that attempts were being made to create an atmosphere of fear ahead of the counting and weaken the organisation of the opposition parties.
The counting of votes will take place on May 4. Polling for the West Bengal assembly elections was held on April 23 and April 29.
The BJP urged the Election Commission to intervene immediately to ensure peaceful counting.
TMC candidate Somnath Shyam rubbished Arjun Singh’s allegation, claiming that the BJP nominee had orchestrated the firing incident to divert attention from imminent defeat.
“Arjun Singh knows all the gangsters in the Barrackpore belt. Everyone knows about his links with the underworld. Let the police investigate the incident,” Shyam said.
