 "Media is targeting Samajwadi Party: Naresh Agarwal")
"The media is selectively targeting SP government in the state. Why the media has so much interest in the state. The incidents in Madhya Pradesh, Delhi, Gujarat are not highlighted by them. It's a well-planned conspiracy sponsored by either Centre or BJP against the state government," SP National General Secretary Naresh Agarwal told PTI over telephone.
He said the media could not see incidents in West Bengal and Bihar, but only targeted UP.
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Agarwal said the media should collect the crime data from the Centre and analyse it and compare UP's crime rate with other states.
"You can compare the crime data of a big state like UP having a population of over 22 crore with rest of the states to know the reality," Agarwal said, adding that the SP government had taken stern action wherever incidents of crime had been reported.
He said a lot of hue and cry was created over the Badaun incident, but as now CBI was probing the matter everyone would know the truth, which was already exposed by the state police.
Earlier in the day, the Centre expressed concern over the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh with BJP slamming the Akhilesh Yadav government. Congress also demanded strict action against trouble-makers in the state.
"This should not be taken as some politics being done by us because their government is of a different party. Whatever the government -- whether of our party or of some other party, everybody is worried if the law and order situation is not good.
"And, when I am here as a minister in the Ministry of Home Affairs, then it is definitely a matter of concern," said Minister of State for Home, Kiren Rijiju.
Senior BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi said the state government has "failed" and "the result is administrative incompetence... The administrative chaos is clearly visible."
Former Congress MP Rashid Alvi, said, "We are very much worried about the law and order situation in UP. We have time and again suggested that the UP government should take care of it. Whatever is happening is very unfortunate and strict action should be taken."
The reactions by BJP and Congress leaders came against the backdrop of a spate of criminal incidents in UP in the last few days like the killing of two police constables, burning alive of a labourer to death and molestation of a French woman.