Amid raging controversy over Mulayam Singh Yadav's claim that those living in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar were political activists and not riot victims, SP went into fire fighting mode today saying his statement was twisted and was a result of a "political conspiracy".
"Some political parties are conspiring on the issue. The statement is twisted with a wrong inference," Samajwadi Party spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said in a statement issued here.
The SP government immediately set up relief camps, extended financial assistance to the victims and gave employment to the kin of deceased, he said.
Chaudhary said that Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav has also assured full security to those living in the camps.
Meanwhile, BJP chief spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak questioned that how words said by the SP supremo before camera could be twisted.
"Instead of giving wrong logics his party should apologise," he said.
Pathak said that Mulayam's statement has hurt the feeling of those living in the camps and were facing hardship.
BSP leader Swami Prasad Maurya while condemning Mulayam's statement said that he should apologise.
Addressing a meeting of party workers in Balrampur district, Maurya alleged,"Muzaffarnagar riots were the result of joint conspiracy of BJP and SP and now Mulayam was terming those living in the camps as conspirators."
"He should apologise to the people for his statement," he said.
After Rahul Gandhi's sudden visit to the relief camps, Yadav had on Monday claimed, "there are no riot victims at all in the camps. There is not even one. You can check. These are people who are conspirators. BJP and Congress have conspired. They have asked people to stay there at night and sit in dharnas. This is conspiracy of the people there.
"They (riot victims) have all gone. Congress and BJP are provoking them to rake up the issue till elections," he had said.
Muslims clerics yesterday sharply reacted to the SP supremo's statement.
"The statement is politically motivated and he (Mulayam) wants to give this issue a political colour", General Secretary All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) Maulana Nizamuddin had told PTI over phone.
