BJP INTIMIDATING PEOPLE: AKHILESH

BAREILLY: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday that the ruling BJP was misusing the government machinery and trying to scare people so that they did not cast their vote, as it was afraid of losing and wanted to win the Rampur seat at any cost.

“By-polls are being held in many other constituencies but all eyes are on Rampur. The BJP has made this seat a prestige issue. It wants to weaken the SP here to ensure that we do not come back to power in the state,” he said, addressing a rally at Qila Rampur just before the poll campaign came to end. The SP has fielded Tazeen Fatima, wife of party lawmaker from Rampur Mohd Azam Khan. “I know officials have been told to issue as many ‘red cards’ as possible to scare our workers and voters to win this seat. Don’t be scared, make sure you cast your vote on Monday and these very same officers, who are acting at the behest of the BJP government today, will do your bidding tomorrow when we come back to power,” he said. The former CM said that Rampur, Kannauj and Etawah districts were on the radar of the BJP government to weaken the support base of the party.

On Kamlesh Tiwari murder, he said : “Do look at this video statement of Kamlesh’s mother, and you will understand who actually is responsible for the death. Now, BJP leaders are worried that their people are being killed.” He also questioned the police theory: “Look, now they are diverting the murder to 2015. If threat was issued in 2015, then what the government was doing in last two-and-half years. They are cooking up stories. Those who have executed the crime have not been nabbed; arrested are those who conspired in 2015.” Akhilesh said: “The government is of BJP, police is of BJP, but there is no stopping murders and killings. The government told the police that if they had to improve things, they should ‘Thok Do (kill in encounters), but the police doesn’t know who to kill. They are killing innocents.” He said the UP government had done nothing for development.