Maya under fire, SP calls bandh

The Samajwadi Party has called an UP ‘bandh’ to protest against the killing of a PWD engineer allegedly by a BSP MLA and his supporters for refusing money for CM Mayawati's birthday celebrations, reports Aurangzeb Naqshbandi.

The Samajwadi Party has called an Uttar Pradesh ‘bandh’ on Thursday to protest against the killing of a Public Works Department engineer at Auraiya on Wednesday allegedly by a Bahujan Samaj Party MLA and his supporters for refusing money for Chief Minister Mayawati's birthday celebrations.

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Party general secretary Amar Singh also sought the Centre’s intervention to put an end to what he said was the culture of massive collection of funds for the BSP leader’s birthday.

“I hope the Home Minister will use the new anti-terror law against Mayawati. The engineer’s killing is also a form of terrorism, and is the best example of organised crime,” Singh said at a press conference. He urged Uttar Pradesh Governor T. Rajeshwar to take congnisance of “criminal acts” being perpetrated by Mayawati.

Singh said M.K. Gupta’s murder was not a one-off incident. “There have been such incidents in the past as well. Mayawati has become the new mafia queen of UP,” he said.

Singh said he would also meet senior Congress leaders Pranab Mukherjee and Ahmed Patel and seek support for the shutdown call.

“The Congress condemns the ruthless, brazen and shameless killing of an engineer. It is reprehensible and indefensible,” Singhvi said.

“The killing clearly shows the mafia character of the Mayawati government,” senior BJP leader Hriday Narayan Dikshit said. He also alleged that the state government was nurturing anti-social elements in an organized manner.

Union minister Ram Vilas Paswan demanded a judicial inquiry into the killing, saying the common man was not safe in the state. “No law and order prevails in UP and the common man, whether belonging to the minorities or the weaker sections, is not safe there,” Paswan said.