'BJP wants to create communal tension in UP': Mayawati

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati on Friday alleged that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) wants to create communal tension in Uttar Pradesh and said that the ruling Samajwadi Party should not allow the saffron party to celebrate the birth anniversary of freedom fighter Raja Mahendra Pratap inside the Aligarh Muslim University (AMU) campus.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party wants to create communal tension in entire Uttar Pradesh. It is a serious issue. The SP Government in Uttar Pradesh must take it seriously. They should not allow the BJP to do anything that affects the law and order situation in the state," she said.

Meanwhile, Nationalist Congress Party (NCP) leader Tariq Anwar lashed out at the BJP on the issue.

"The Bharatiya Janata Party's aim is to create tension in the city campus and use it for political gains," said Anwar.

The BJP, however, said the Samajwadi Party Government in Uttar Pradesh is unnecessarily creating a controversy over the issue.

"Raja Mahendra Pratap's contribution is known to all. He studied as a student in the university and is the alumnus of it. He gave the land to the university and contributed immensely in the foundation of the university," BJP spokesperson G.V.L. Narasimha Rao said.

"How can celebrating birth anniversary of such a person create communal tension?" he asked.

Union Human Resource Development Minister Smriti Irani earlier today denied receiving any letter from AMU Vice Chancellor Lt. Gen. (Retired) Zameeruddin Shah regarding his concerns about holding the birth anniversary celebrations of Raja Mahendra Pratap within the university complex.

"I have received no such letter, I can only react once I read the letter," Irani said.

According to reports, Lt. Gen. (Retired) Zameeruddin Shah had written to the HRD Ministry warning that the holding of the event could lead to possible student unrest and communal conflagration.

AMU Public Relations Officer (PRO) Rahat Abrar said the letter has been written to the HRD Ministry to inform them in advance about the likely unrest that may follow the celebrations.

"The VC has written about the conditions of the university, the resentment of the boys and how the event may lead to unrest. And, the university, which is an academic institution, has nothing to do with party politics. Our job is to inform them before hand so that they don't say later that we didn't inform them," said Abrar.