Priyanka secy, UP Cong chief booked for false details
The twitter war between Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Congress leader Priyanka Gandhi over the permission for operation of buses for the return of migrant labourers to their homes took a turn for the worse with the arrest of UP Congress chief Ajay Kumar (Lallu) in Agra and lodging of an FIR against Priyanka Gandhi’s personal secretary Sandeep Singh and the UPCC chief in Lucknow for furnishing wrong details about buses.
The Congress has hit back at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath saying he was engaging in cheap politics.
Government spokesman said Ajay Kumar Lallu, who was staging a dharna at Agra, was arrested while an FIR has been lodged against him under Section 420/467/468 IPC for furnishing false details about the buses purported to be for ferrying migrant workers.
In a joint statement Additional Police Commissioner (Traffic) Lucknow, Pudendu Singh and RTO Lucknow, RP Dwivedi, said that the verification of the list of buses provided by Congress showed that over 100 numbers were that of tempos, ambulances or taxis.
“The verification through database of vehicles available on NIC site confirmed that out of 1,049 registration numbers given by the Congress, 879 are of buses, 31 of auto/three-wheeler, 69 of other vehicles while there is no record available of 70 registration numbers,” they said.
The Government further claimed that out of the above 879 buses 79 were not having fitness certificate, insurance of 140 buses already expired while 78 were not having both insurance and fitness certificate.
“The Congress has committed fraud as telling lies is in the DNA of the party and the Congress leaders have fooled people to get political mileage out of this crisis,” UP Government spokesman Sidharth Nath Singh said in a statement.
Enraged over the accusation of giving the registration numbers of autos and two-wheelers in the list of buses, the veteran Congress leader and former MP Pramod Tiwari said that BJP people are trying to malign the Congress and in such a situation, the party will file a defamation suit.
However, he also appealed that instead of making dirty politics at this hour of medical emergency, the State Government should give first priority to allow the buses provided by the Congress to ferry migrants who were seen stranded on UP borders.
“The list we have given is of buses. No such list has come from the CM office which says that the list we have given is not of buses. It will be a wastage of time if we come to Lucknow first and then go elsewhere. People are perturbed at the borders and thousands have gathered. Technical checks of buses can be conducted in Noida or Ghaziabad also. We haven’t put any flag or photo. Congress only wants to help workers through buses,” Tewari said.
Tewari said the Rajasthan Transport Corporation buses were not allowed to enter Uttar Pradesh. “Actually, there is no dearth of buses but the problem lies with the Government’s policy and intention. Even if it gives permission today, the buses which are stationed can ply and the poor people can reach their homes,” he said.
In Delhi, Congress accused the Uttar Pradesh Government of doing cheap politics by stopping the buses arranged by the party to ferry migrant labourers from entering the State.
Congress chief spokesman Randeep Singh Surjewala and Rajiv Shukla claimed that the buses are standing on Rajasthan-UP border but are not being allowed to enter the State because the officials on the ground don’t have orders.
“The Uttar Pradesh administration wrote a letter to us at 11 in the night (on Monday), asking us to send the buses to Lucknow complete with all the papers - like fitness certificate, PUC certificate, driving license etc - by 10 am on Tuesday. Look at their behaviour - they are asking for papers, and don’t care about the humanitarian crisis unfolding in the State (migrants walking towards their home). We replied within two hours, but got a response at 11.05 am the next day saying bring 500 buses to Ghaziabad and 500 to Noida,” said Surjewala.
“We replied saying the buses are coming from far away States like Rajasthan and will reach by 5 pm today. And hundreds of buses are standing at the border, but officials are not allowing them to enter saying they don’t have orders,” Surjewala added.
He then called the UP Government “insensitive” and condemned the State administration’s behaviour.
“Mr Adityanath, you said that service to man is service to god. When there is Modiji’s rally, you make all the arrangements like food, transport etc. But today, these buses are not acceptable to you because they have been arranged by the Congress? This is cheap politics,” said Surjewala.