Priyanka meets UP ‘panchayat poll violence’ victims, demands re-poll

Lucknow: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday demanded demanded that the recent panchayat chief elections held in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh be cancelled and re-polls be held

Lucknow: Congress general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra on Saturday demanded demanded that the recent panchayat chief elections held in Lakhimpur Kheri district of Uttar Pradesh be cancelled and re-polls be held.

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She also demanded that all those behind the alleged nomination day violence on July 8 be brought to book. The elections were held on July 10.

The Congress leader, who is on a three-day visit to the state, visited Semra Ghat village of Pasgawan block area in Lakhimpur Kheri, about 130 km from the state capital, and met the Samajwadi Party worker (who was party’s block pramukh candidate) and her proposer who were victims of the alleged violence during the elections. She said there was no point in providing reservation to women in the panchayats when they were not being allowed to file their nomination.

Both the women had allegedly been misbehaved with on the nomination day. The SP worker had alleged that she was not allowed to file her nomination.

An FIR in the incident has been lodged and police have arrested three people. Six police officials, including Mohammadi deputy police superintendent, have been suspended after the government took strong note of the incident.

“Filing of nomination (for panchayat election) is her right. This right was taken away from her… She was targeted and attempt were made to pull away her saree and tear her clothes. One can imagine what she went through. She had a small child with her. A 19-year-old boy was also with her. She had her family with her…The circle officer, who tried to save her, has been placed under suspension and the administration is maintaining silence,” Priyanka told reporters after meeting the two women.

“I have come here as a fellow woman to extend my support to her, to assure her that every woman of the state and that of the country is with her in her fight for justice,” she said.

She added, “The violence took place in all the districts (during block pramukh polls). Bomb explosions were there at some places, violence was witnessed at some other and atrocities were committed against the women… I have come here to meet her because she is a woman. She is my sister as well… I demand that the election should be countermanded. Whosoever is occupying such a high position can see this is not the way any election is held and so it should be countermanded.”

“Not alone in Pasgawan, fresh elections should be held in all other blocks of the state where such violence took place,” she told reporters.

“The purpose of reservation to women in a democracy was their empowerment. However, situations have come to such a level that women are being misbehaved with,” Priyanka said.

The Congress leader targeted Prime Minister Narendra Modi again for his congratulatory message after the panchayat elections and said, “Re-election is ordered whenever such things happen. Why should re-election not be held? Can anybody be allowed to win election by indulging in violence? We have a video. Everything is clear whatever happened there. The police is seen not helping her. Only one or two persons came for her help. Do you want all democratic norms should be thrown to the winds? Prime Minister Narendra Modi is praising and congratulating the government.”

In a social media post, she said she would write to the state election commission to get justice to the victims of panchayat poll violence.

“I will write a letter to state election commission to demand justice for all the sisters and citizens who became victim of BJP-sponsored violence,” she said in a tweet earlier on Saturday.

A large number of party workers welcomed Priyanka at Bakshi Ka Talab on way to Lakhimpur Kheri. Later, she held meetings with the party’s office bearers from different districts at the UPCC headquarters here on Saturday evening.

(With inputs from Deokant Pandey in Lakhimpur Kheri)