'Centre closely watching Gorakhpur situation'

Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal on Saturday said the Centre was closely watching the Gorakhpur situation.

Union Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal on Saturday said the Centre was closely watching the Gorakhpur situation but did not want to dismiss the democratically-elected Mulayam Singh Yadav-led government.

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However, he said, "Our options are open and we will take the decision at the right time."

Certain parties are trying to derive "political mileage" by "engineering communal tension" in some parts of the state in view of the coming state assembly polls, he told reporters.

"The Congress party and central government would not allow any one to take political advantage (of such situations)," he said.

The need of the hour was to maintain communal harmony in the state, Jaiswal said adding the electorate would give them (those triggering communal tension) a befitting reply during the elections.

Asked to comment on the chief minister's remark that he had gone to Gorakhpur for 'doing politics', the minister said he knew better "who was doing politics".

Jaiswal also addressed a peace meeting at Mahatma Gandhi's statue at Phoolbagh and appreciated the party workers organising the peace march in the industrial city.