BJP MP, leaders responsible for Saharanpur clash: Akhilesh

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav today alleged that the Saharanpur BJP MP and his party leaders were responsible for the clash between two communities in the district.
He demanded a judicial probe into the episode and the arrest of the accused.
The former chief minister also alleged this was not the first time that the MP, Raghav Lakhanpal, was involved in a communal flare-up "as he believes that such ways are more convenient for winning elections".
"The way in which morale of police and administration has come down in the present regime will not take the state forward," Akhilesh said.

"There should be a judicial probe into the incident of clash between two communities in Saharanpur on April 20 and all accused should be arrested. It will a test of the BJP government as to when it will arrest MP Raghav Lakhanpal, Deoband MLA Kunwar Vijendra Singh, BJP leader Amit Gagneja and the other accused who incited the communal incident," he said in a press conference at the SP headquarters here.
Several people, including Lakhanpal and SSP Love Kumar, were injured in brick-batting between members of two communities on April 20 following an argument over an Ambedkar Jayanti rally passing through the communally sensitive Janakpuri area.

Later, the MP and his supporters had protested outside the residence of the SSP, and had allegedly damaged a CCTV camera and removed his nameplate.

Akhilesh said the SP had sent a fact-finding delegation comprising its leaders to Saharanpur.
SP leader Mehboob Ali, who was part of the team, said that no permission had been taken by BJP leaders for taking out the procession, echoing the SSP's statement on the matter.
"This for the first time such an incident has happened where an SSP's residence was attacked," he said.
Akhilesh said that the language used by BJP leaders was a "threat to democracy", which may be felt by the media in future.

On the Sukma attack in which 25 jawans were killed, Akhilesh mocked the Centre for saying that demonetisation was a blow to Naxal militants.
"They (Centre) used to say that demonetisation will be break back bone of naxals. Now from where are they getting the money. Naxals' source of income should be probed and a roadmap should be made for this," he said.
BJP was quick to react on Akhilesh's allegations against its MP, saying that he should first look into its regime where hooligans and mafias were given "government patronage".
"In BJP regime, there is no government patronage to anyone who takes law into his hand unlike previous SP regime. As far as Saharanpur incident is concerned, FIR has been registered and arrests are being made. There is no government patronage to anyone," state BJP spokesman Rakesh Tripathi said.