Akhilesh Yadav seeks action after Mau railway event turns political flashpoint
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday demanded police action against what he called "criminal elements" after a railway programme in Mau turned into a
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday demanded police action against what he called "criminal elements" after a railway programme in Mau turned into a political confrontation. He also alleged that the influence of "inter-state mafias" was growing in Uttar Pradesh and said the state government was creating an atmosphere of fear by bringing in criminals from outside. The controversy followed the inauguration of the Mau-Anand Vihar train service, which Yadav said had been started due to the efforts of SP MP Rajeev Rai in public interest.
Read Full Story Rai later alleged that he had been invited to the event only to be "insulted" after Uttar Pradesh Energy Minister AK Sharma made a remark that was seen as a reference to him. In a post on X, Yadav said the inauguration programme was deliberately made tense. "The Mau-Anand Vihar train service was started due to the efforts of SP MP Rajeev Rai in public interest, but the inauguration programme was deliberately made tense," he said. He demanded that those involved should be identified through "AI-based verification" and booked, alleging that they were "history-sheeters" roaming freely.
Yadav described the issue as a "challenge" for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and alleged that Uttar Pradesh had become a "safe haven" for interstate mafias. He warned that if no action was taken, it would be assumed that the incident had government backing. Rai also posted on X, alleging that despite the chief minister speaking against criminals and mafias, no action was taken against the offenders in Mau because of political influence. He said certain people at Friday's railway event misbehaved with him, women and police, and alleged that the same people had been involved in violence earlier.
The political flashpoint came after Sharma said, "Save your energy, otherwise your plot will be occupied", a comment seen as referring to Rai in light of an earlier land-related dispute between the two leaders. In all, the row over the railway event centred on allegations of disruption, political intimidation and the exchange between Rai and Sharma. Ends
The BriefWire