With the Opposition demanding the dismissal of the Akhilesh Yadav government in the wake of communal violence in Muzaffarnagar, Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh on Sunday summoned his son and senior officials to take stock of the situation.
Apart from the Chief Minister, Chief Secretary Javed Usmani, Principal Secretary (Home) R.M. Srivastava and some Ministers from the region were said to have been present at the meeting held at Mr. Singh’s Vikramaditya Marg residence here. The outcome of the meeting is not known, but sources said the SP chief gave strict instructions to his son and the officials on taking all steps to control the situation from deteriorating further.
The Opposition onslaught was led by the Rashtriya Lok Dal and the Bahujan Samaj Party who demanded dismissal of the government and imposition of President’s rule in the State.
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RLD president and Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh said in a statement that communal riots in Muzaffarnagar had exposed the “weak, ineffective and careless government.” Mr. Singh accused the SP government of “instigating the riots from the backdoor.” He said there were more than 100 cases of communal violence in the State since the SP came to power.
Mr. Ajit Singh slammed the government for “failing to act” against the political leaders instigating the people with hate speeches. He accused the government of dividing people on communal lines.
Leader of the Opposition in the Assembly and senior BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya has also demanded the government’s resignation. Talking to reporters, Mr. Maurya and former Minister Naseemuddin Siddiqui charged the government with indulging in politics of communalism.
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Bharatiya Janata Party spokesman Manoj Mishra said Mr. Mulayam Singh’s meeting underlined the failure of the government.
CPI (M) leader Prem Nath Rai assailed the government for failing to take preventive measures in Muzaffarnagar.