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.
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NIA registers case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal
New Delhi (PTI): The National Investigation Agency (NIA) on Sunday registered a case to probe recovery of 79 crude bombs in poll-bound West Bengal, officials said.
The move came following a directive by the Union Home Ministry in this regard, they said.
In pursuance to the home ministry's order, the anti-terror agency on Sunday registered a case, which was originally filed at Uttar Kashi police station, Bhangar division, Kolkata on Saturday, and took up the investigation, an NIA spokesperson said in a late night statement.
"The case pertains to recovery of 79 crude bombs and other incriminating materials by Kolkata police, which were being stored at a spot, thereby endangering human life and property," the spokesperson said.
Earlier in the day, the Election Commission had directed the West Bengal Police to launch a special drive to arrest those involved in illegal manufacturing of crude bombs in the poll-bound state, an official said.
It asserted that all cases related to the making of any such explosive would be probed by the National Investigation Agency, the official said.
The directive came after the police recovered a large number of crude bombs from the house of a person, allegedly a TMC worker, at Bhangar in South 24 Parganas district, days ahead of the second and final phase of the assembly polls in the state.
The explosives were recovered during a search at the residence of Rafikul Islam following specific inputs, the official said.
The poll panel also issued a warning to senior police officers across the state over any lapse in maintaining law and order before the April 29 polling.
The first phase of the assembly elections in West Bengal was held on April 23, while the second phase will take place on April 29. Votes will be counted on May 4.
A record 93.19 per cent turnout has been recorded in the first round of polling. Bhangar will vote in the second phase.
