BJP demands President’s rule in Uttar Pradesh

Left parties blame SP government for failing to control the situation

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Monday sought to put the onus of action in controlling the communal riots in Muzaffarnagar on the United Progressive Alliance (UPA) by demanding Central rule in Uttar Pradesh.

Reminding the UPA government of its constitutional duty, BJP president Rajnath Singh said the Samajwadi Party (SP) government in Uttar Pradesh should be dismissed as there was a complete breakdown of law and order in the State. The BJP, he added, would support such a move of the Centre in Parliament.

According to Mr. Singh, communal tensions have been increasing in Uttar Pradesh ever since the SP took over the reins in the State. While law and order has been on the decline under the current dispensation, communal riots have been on the increase with the number of such incidents running into dozens, he maintained.

Meanwhile, the SP government was criticised by the secular stables also, including the two main Left parties. While blaming the BJP and the Sangh Parivar for fomenting communal tensions in Muzaffarnagar, they did not spare the SP government for failing to control the situation which has left over a score dead over the weekend.

“The large-scale riot was sparked off by a small incident which occurred nearly 10 days earlier but the laxity of the administration has allowed the communal elements to exploit the situation,” the Polit Bureau of the Communist Party of India (Marxist) said in a statement.

Pointing out that there has been a series of communal incidents in the State in the past one year, the Polit Bureau added that the State government had not shown the vigilance required to curb such incidents promptly.

While the CPI(M) statement did not name the SP as such, that issued by the CPI was blunter. “The SP government has been lax for quite some time in curbing all these communal outbursts and in countering the aggressive machinations of the Sangh Parivar and other communal forces of the minority community till now when it has been compelled to call in the Army. The Akhilesh government should implement its promise of immediate action against erring district officials.”

Referring to the fact that stalwarts of the BJP and its Sangh Parivar have been named for inciting the people to resort to killings and arson against members and properties of the minority community, the CPI maintained that this was part of the ‘nefarious designs’ of the BJP for political and electoral gains.

According to CPI(M) leaders, the party had been getting reports for a year now about efforts by the Sangh Parivar to polarise Western Uttar Pradesh by carrying out campaigns on issues that fan communal tension like a movement against cow slaughter.

“The Jats of Western Uttar Pradesh are consolidating again in favour of the BJP; quite like they did after the demolition of the Babri Masjid.”