Akhilesh sees electoral considerations in crime: BJP

There has been violence in the state during the protests and so far no major arrests have been made, said the BJP

Following violent protests by Muslims in many parts of Uttar Pradesh, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Tuesday accused the Samajwadi Party (SP) government of not acting against trouble makers owing to "electoral considerations".

Muslims have been protesting against some blasphemous statements made by a Hindu Mahasabha leader Kamlesh Tiwari.

There has been violence in the state, including in Kanpur, Lucknow and Bareilly, during the protests and so far no major arrests have been made, BJP state spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak said.

While the National Security Act (NSA) has been slapped on Tiwari and he is in jail, the police was not acting against scores of Muslims who were openly and publicly breaking law, Pathak said.

 

"The government neither has the will nor the authority to act against such lumpen elements as it will hurt their vote bank," said the BJP leader.

Pathak suggested that the government order the police to find out from CCTV footage, who the people were behind such violence, and act against them without any bias or prejudice.

He said that the "state cannot be subjected to a pick and choose policy in containing crime and maintaining law and order."

Following urban development minister and senior SP leader Mohd Azam Khan's statement that all Rashtriya Swayamsewak Sangh (RSS) leaders and members were homosexuals and hence talking to revoke Section 377 of the IPC, Kamlesh Tiwari had made similar comments about prophet Mohammed.

This has incensed Muslims and they have been holding protests in various cities of the state.

BJP leaders allege that the SP was playing politics over the issue so that the matter could drag on for some more time as it would allow the SP government an opportunity to claim to be champions of Muslims.