Charge, counter-charge in Lucknow

By J.P. Shukla

LUCKNOW, JULY 26. The Samajwadi Party and the ruling BJP today engaged in a slanging match over the murder of the Samajwadi Party Lok Sabha MP, Phoolan Devi.

Talking to newspersons here, the State unit president of the Samajwadi Party (SP), Mr. Ram Saran Das, took strong exception to the Chief Minister, Mr Rajnath Singh's allegation that the SP was trying to play politics over the body of Phoolan Devi. The present Chief Minister was ``the most intriguing type, and as an administrator he had proved to be an utter failure,'' he said.

Mr. Das alleged that the Government had withdrawn the security of a number of SP leaders ``with malicious intent.'' Among those affected were the State unit's general secretary and brother of Mr. Mulayam Singh Yadav, Mr. Shivpal Singh, and party MP, Mr. Akhilesh Singh. As against this, the Government was liberally sanctioning shadows and gunmen to ruling party leaders, ``including history-sheeters'', he said.

Phoolan Devi herself had been denied an additional gunman and a firearm licence for which she had applied, he added.

Refuting the allegations, the Minister of State for Home, Mr. Ranganath Mishra, said Phoolan Devi's request for an additional gunman on 25 per cent payment had been immediately accepted. However, she did not deposit the money and the matter was pending there. As for the grant of licence for a firearm, her application was being examined at the district level in Bhadohi.

Condemning the manner in which the SP was ``politicising'' the murder, he said everyone was distressed at her death. The SP, however, had chosen to play politics over the incident. ``And what is the justification for violence let loose by SP activists in the name of enforcing their strike call?'' he asked.

Even national leaders, including the Prime Minister, Mr. Atal Behari Vajpayee, had expressed their condolences for her death, he said but the SP had other things in mind. Ignoring the wishes of her family, the body had been taken to Mirzapur for cremation. ``This was not for the peace of the departed soul but for political reasons.''

Mr. Mishra claimed that during his last meeting with Phoolan Devi at her New Delhi residence two days ago, she had supported the Chief Minister's move to provide reservation for ``most Dalits'' and ``most backwards'' and wanted to congratulate the Chief Minister for this.

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