Date:10/06/2008 URL: http://www.thehindu.com/2008/06/10/stories/2008061054531000.htm

National

End Maharajganj drama: Mulayam

Atiq Khan

“False cases filed against SP workers”

Mulayam Singh

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh on Monday said the Mayawati government should stop the “political drama” on the Maharajganj incident, in which a policeman was killed allegedly by supporters of Jamuna Prasad Nishad, who has since been sacked from the Ministry.

Even as 12 people named in the first information report had been arrested, Director-General of Police Vikram Singh said earlier in the day that there was not enough evidence to show Mr. Nishad’s role in the incident.

Mr. Mulayam Singh alleged at a press conference here that Mr. Nishad was not the only “tainted” ruling party functionary, there were 22 Ministers and some BSP MLAs and MPs with criminal antecedents. Until action was taken against them such incidents would recur.

A seven-member SP delegation led by the Leader of the Opposition in the Legislative Council Ahmed Hasan would visit Maharajganj on June 11 on a fact-finding mission. The same day a nine-member team led by SP State unit working president Shivpal Singh Yadav would visit Pratapgarh, where three supporters of the former Minister Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhayya were booked under the Gangsters Act on Sunday.Mr. Mulayam Singh would himself visit Firozabad on June 16 to spearhead a peaceful agitation against the BSP government.

Recalling the May 30 incident in Firozabad, where the police resorted to “unprovoked firing” to disperse Gujjar and SP agitators, the former Chief Minister alleged that raids were conducted on the houses of Ram Sakal Gujjar and the former SP MLA Azim Bhai.

Accusing the Mayawati government of registering fake cases, Mr. Mulayam Singh said it was part of a “conspiracy” to throw SP workers in jail before next year’s Lok Sabha elections.

Meetings of party MPs, district unit chiefs and the State executive would be held soon to finalise the strategy of a broad-based agitation. On his much-publicised meeting with Ms. Mayawati on Friday, Mr. Mulayam Singh said he only fulfilled his constitutional duty as the file relating to the constitution of the State Human Rights Commission would not have passed without his signature.