Don’t politicize crime in UP

Phoolan Devi was gunned down in the most suspicious circumstances some years ago. The dastardly act took place within half-a-kilometre of the VIP security zone. It may be noted that despite the bungalows of Phoolan Devi and Mr Rajnath Singh having a common boundary wall, and in spite of the heavy security arrangements at his place, there was no timely response. It was a failure of both the Centre and Mr Rajnath Singh’s Government.

As I have said, to combat the criminal-politician nexus, the need of the hour is to sink our political differences and work towards presenting a united front irrespective of our ideological affiliations. I urge all political parties to join hands for the sake of the people of Uttar Pradesh. Let us ensure that the land of Buddha, Baba Vishwanath and Bismillah Khan remains peaceful.

The allegation that Mokhtar Ansari belongs to the Samajwadi Party is absolutely false, baseless and incorrect. He has a track record of consistently committing his support to the Government of the day. Today he is ’supporting’ our Government. Yesterday he was actively ’supporting’ the Mayawati-Rajnath Singh combine. Tomorrow, if another party comes to power, I won’t be surprised to see Mokhtar Ansari pledging his ’support’ to that Government. Instead of holding Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav’s regime responsible, all parties should cleanse the political system of Rais and Ansaris.

The present situation presents a challenge to the Samajwadi Party Government in Uttar Pradesh, given the earlier attempts of the Congress to dislodge it on frivolous grounds. The BJP, with its sinister Hindutva agenda, has displayed tendencies to communalise Krishnanand Rai’s killing. They want to heighten communal consciousness with an eye to the next State Assembly election, as they did after a minor skirmish at Mau following Dussehra.

Finally, will my friend Mr Rajnath Singh explain why was there no Nyay Yatra when Mokhtar Ansari allegedly kidnapped Nand Kishore Runghta, national treasurer of the Vishwa Hindu Parishad? It is ironical that there was inexplicable silence after such an important functionary of Mr Rajnath Singh’s Hindutva family was brutally killed. The response is understandable because Mokhtar Ansari was supporting the unholy nexus between Ms Mayawati and Mr Lalji Tandon in the form of the BSP-BJP coalition Government some years back.

The Allahabad High Court has rejected the BJP’s demand for a CBI inquiry into Krishnanand Rai’s murder. The Special Task Force of Mr Mulayam Singh Yadav’s Government is actively investigating the killing and will solve the crime.