Now, Cong puts up posters of BJP leaders, cops remove them

LUCKNOW : The ongoing political war over posters intensified with the Congress putting up posters late Friday evening demanding recovery of damages from top BJP leaders who had been named as accused for rioting in Uttar Pradesh earlier.

However, in a swift move, the police got the posters removed by Saturday morning.

Assistant commissioner of police (ACP) Hazratganj Abhay Mishra said the police got the posters removed from two places in Hazratganj area, while at other places the posters were removed by those who had put them up.

“We are looking into the issue and trying to find out the name of printer/publisher of the posters,” said Mishra.

The Congress’ move came a few hours after the state cabinet approved an ordinance to enact a law providing for recovery of damages to public and private property during ‘illegal’ demonstrations and protests.

“We had put up posters at about a dozen places, including near the state BJP headquarters and Ambedkar’s statue at Hazratganj crossing. The police have removed them. The state government has put up hoardings displaying pictures, names and addresses of those who protested against the Citizenship Amendment Act. But they have not been removed. Law is same for all,” said Lalu Kannaujia, a Congress worker whose name figures on the posters. “Will there be recovery from the rioters, people want to know? (Janta maange jabab, in dangaiyon se vasuli kab),” reads the top headline on a poster having pictures of chief minister Yogi Adityanath on one side and deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on the other.

It has been pointed out on the posters that the two leaders, in their election affidavits, had admitted that cases of rioting had been registered against them. At the bottom, the banner carries pictures of UP minister Suresh Rana, BJP MLAs Sangeet Som and Umesh Malik, BJP MP Sanjiv Balyan and Sadhvi Prachi and mentions them as accused of the 2013 Muzaffarnagar riots. It also has name of BJP MLA Radha Mohan Das Agarwal as an accused of Gorakhpur riots though the picture of union minister Radha Mohan Singh has been placed there instead of picture of Agarwal. Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC) president Ajay Kumar Lallu said the Yogi government has enacted a law for recovery of damages from riot accused and has put up hoardings across Lucknow with the CAA protestors’ pictures.

Lallu said a Congress worker has put the posters listing names of BJP leaders, including Yogi, Maurya and other ministers, demanding recovery of damages from them. “Law is equal for all. The chief minister should put up posters carrying his own picture along with pictures of ministers and BJP leaders who have been named as accused in cases of riots,” said Lallu. The Samajwadi Party had on Thursday night put up posters of former BJP leaders and rape accused Swami Chinmayanand and Kuldeep Singh Sengar in the city. The posters, put up by SP leader IP Singh, had the picture of Chinmayanand and Sengar with a list of sections they are booked under.

Around five such banners were put up on different crossings in central Lucknow. All these banners were put up next to the hoardings carrying pictures of anti-CAA protesters. The local administration, however, removed the banners.