Lucknow: Senior AAP leader Sanjay Singh, who has been booked by the Uttar Pradesh police for allegedly making remarks against a community, on Sunday said he is not afraid of such action against him and is only demanding that the state government work for every community.
The Rajya Sabha MP, who is also the Aam Admi Party’s in-charge of UP, claimed that people of the state feel “a specific caste is running the government”.
The ruling BJP, however, rebutted the allegations, saying the opposition parties are feeling uneasy due to the action taken against criminals by the UP government and are, therefore, raising the issue of cast and religion.
Cases have been registered against Sanjay Singh in Lakhimpur Khiri, Sant Kabirnagar, Aligarh, Muzaffarnagar and Greater Noida for allegedly promoting enmity among communities and similar charges after his remarks over the recent police action and other issues.
“In a democracy, the constitutionally elected government is for everyone, and not for any particular caste. Since, I have raised this question, cases have been registered against me in five districts,” Singh alleged.
“I am not going to feel afraid due to these cases, and would continue to speak the truth. If I am asking a democratic government to work for everyone, then how does it amount to insulting a caste?” he said.
Speaking to PTI, the AAP leader also raised questions on the role of the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP) and Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
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A “strong” opposition is necessary in a democracy to raise the issues of people fearlessly, he said.
“The opposition should have the spirit to raise the issues of the public despite facing bullets and canes. However, the principal opposition parties in the state are not doing anything as such. As a result, the government has gone ‘nirankush’ (autocratic),” he alleged
Taking a swipe at the Yogi Adityanath government, Singh said, It would be unfair to term ‘Yogi Raj’ as ‘Jungle Raj’, as the jungle has some laws of its own. Here, there are no rules, no law and no order.
Yogiji speaks about ‘Ram Rajya’, but does not want to work for the interest of all,” he alleged.
Dismissing the AAP leader’s allegations, UP BJP spokesperson Manish Shukla told PTI, “The BJP government works with the motto of Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas.
“Be it the AAP, SP or the Congress, they start feeling uneasy whenever there is any action initiated on the criminals. These parties try to look for the caste and religion of the criminals. Our government does not do so, and acts tough on the criminals irrespective of their caste and religion,” he said.
Shukla alleged that people who are talking about castes are those who actually indulged in appeasement on the basis of caste and religion. They stand with the rioters.
As far as the AAP is concerned, everyone knows what they have done to their leaders Yogendra Yadav and Kumar Vishwas. They must first introspect before raising question on anybody else. There is absolute social harmony in Uttar Pradesh,” he said.
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