Riot victims in Muzaffarnagar, Uttar Pradesh, have criticised state chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for splurging millions on a fortnight-long annual carnival in his hometwon of Saifai in Etawah District, even as they continue to battle bitter cold weather conditions and poorly managed arrangements in relief camps.
Hafiz Mohammad Parvez, a riot victim, said: "We can see how nicely our chief minister is spending the time, in leisure, air conditioned rooms, and here, people are living in a bad shape. It seems that we had voted for him so that he could ruin us. Today, he doesn't even have the time to visit the camps to see how his people are living here, what we need. They just say one thing, that vacate the area, but how can we when the people who murdered our brothers are still roaming around out in the open, no action was taken against those people."
A distressed woman living in the camps, Nafeesa, said she had lost her child due biting cold wave conditions, while many other children had fallen sick due to unhygienic surroundings and lack of supplies.
When asked whether the money politicians spent on going abroad on tours could have been used to help the riot victims, she said: "Yes, we would have had a little relief. They are doing things for themselves only, they have not done anything for us, we were and still are in a lot of problems here. We have little children, some are sick also, some are getting pneumonia, fever. Our tents get wet with dew and keeps dripping the whole night, children sick because of that."
Another riot victim, Tahir, said: "Till date the government has not sent any help for us, they sent us one glass of milk for 24 hours. Families, which have 10 children, how are they going to manage with one glass of milk? We have left out houses and come here, and the people who had killed people, walked free after a few days, they are roaming around free. How can we go back in such a case? Wouldn't we feel scared? They say the law will punish them but where is it happening? Why would we go back to get killed?"
The ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) organises the "Saifai Mahotsav" every year in the ancestral village of party chief, Mulayam Singh Yadav, to commemorate the memory of his deceased nephew.
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Several Bollywood actors including Salman Khan and Ranveer Singh performed at the event and seemed delighted with the arrangements made for them.
The grand finale ceremony of the 15th annual festival, which began on December 26, was inaugurated by Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav.
According to media reports, around Rs.one crore was spent on the fiesta, which is attended by political leaders, film artists and corporate leaders every year.
The event drew much criticism from politicians and people of the country for wasting money that could have been used to provide aid to the riot-hit victims in the Muzaffarnagar district in Uttar Pradesh.
In fact, people took to social media to condemn Bollywood actor Salman Khan, who claims to be working for social causes and for the deprived, for being a part of the event.
Last year, forty-five people died in the prosperous sugarcane district of Muzaffarnagar and surrounding areas since clashes erupted between Muslims and majority Hindu Jats - a conservative farming community - in a sign of rising tension between the two groups ahead of general elections due by May.
Reportedly, over 40 children have died in the relief camps due to severe weather conditions, dengue outbreak and lack of basic hygiene.
