There is a “jungle raj” prevailing in Uttar Pradesh where no one, including police, is safe, Congress national general secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra said on Saturday, a day after eight policemen were killed in an encounter with criminals in Kanpur.
In a video conference with party's senior leaders in the state, Gandhi also accused the ruling BJP leaders and government officials of having nexus with criminals, as the party decided to launch an ‘e-campaign' through various social media platforms against the “worsening law and order situation” in the state.
Quoting Gandhi as making the allegations during the conference, party's state media convener Lallan Kumar said the leaders discussed the prevailing law and order situation in the state in detail.
During the conference, Gandhi said “there is a jungle raj prevailing in UP where even policemen are not safe”, said Kumar.
She said the state's law and order situation has been demolished due to the nexus of ruling party leaders and government officials with criminals, said Kumar.
“The criminals' morale has been boosted due to the government's patronage to them,” Kumar quoted Gandhi as saying.
He said the party decided to launch a campaign against the “bad shape of law and order” and “jungle raj” in the state and expose criminals and the leaders extending patronage to them.
The party will run an online campaign with party leaders and workers going live on Facebook on Sunday afternoon, he said, adding that an appeal will be made to people to post their messages on Facebook, Twitter and Instagram against the rising crime graph in the state.
The party will also reach out to the people and ask them to write to party leaders and workers if they had any problem regarding the law and order situation.
The party will send their messages to the state governor and the National Human Rights Commissions, he said.
In the videoconference, the party also discussed its strategy for the coming UP Panchayat elections with leaders, said Kumar.
Those present in the video meet included UPCC president Ajay Kumar Lallu, CLP leader Aradhana Misra, former Union ministers Jitin Prasad and Pradip Jain Aditya and MLC Dipak Singh among others.
After the Friday encounter in Kanpur, Priyanka Gandhi had tweeted, “Eight policemen were martyred while they went to nab criminals. I pay my condolence to the family of the martyrs. In UP, law and order has become very bad and criminals have no fear. From common man to policemen, no one is safe," she said.
"The responsibility of law and order is with the chief minister. He should initiate strict action and there should be no laxity in it," she had added.
