Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh Yadav’s off-the-cuff remark that those living in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar are not riot victims has sparked a political row with the Congress and the BJP blaming the SP leadership for politicising the issue.
While addressing party workers Mulayam had claimed that riot victims are no longer staying in camps. The persons who are putting up in relief camps in Shamli and Muzaffarnagar are agents of the Congress and the BJP, Yadav Sr had said.
“This statement from Mulayam Singh Yadav is very unfortunate. If the people living in relief camps are not riot victims who are theyIJ Why administration has not identified them and removed the camps if they are not victims,” asked BJP spokesman Vijay Bahadur Pathak here on Tuesday.
He said that on one hand Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav claims that his Government has provided relief to the riot victims while on the other hand his father says they are not riot victims. If the Government has actually given relief to the so-called riot victims and Mulayam says they are not victims then who they are who stand benefited by Government largesse, Pathak asked.
“This is a politically loaded statement demeaning the sufferings of the people. The Government has failed to provide relief to the people living in the camps with the result over 60 children have died of cold there in the last one month. To cover up the failure of the Samajwadi Party Government Mulayam Singh Yadav has given a political colour to the whole issue,” he said.
Congress spokesman Amarnath Agarwal said such a comment is very unfortunate. “Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi’s visit has exposed how little relief the State Government has provided to the victims. When Rahul questioned the Chief Minister, the Samajwadi Party decided to disown those who are languishing without food and water in the camps,” Agarwal said.