The Bharatiya Janata Party MPs from the state on Saturday sat on a 24-hour-long dharna in front of Vidhan Bhawan here as part of the party’s state-wide agitation against the deteriorating law and order, hike in power tariff and the “anti-people policies” of the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh.
Over 45 BJP MPs and hundreds of local leaders and workers of the party led by their state president laxmikant Bajpai gathered in front of Vidhan Bhawan on Saturday morning to sit on 24-hour dharna to register their protest against the failure of the state government to give relief to the public.
The dharna would continue till Monday morning after which the party would decide the future strategy, Bajpai said. Addressing the gathering, Bajpai said that law and order had hit the rock bottom ever since the Akhilesh Yadav government had come to power and there was a spurt in henious crimes, including rapes, murders, loots and abductions.
He alleged that officers were not taking cognisance of the problems being raised by the BJP MPs. Hitting out at the state government, the BJP MPs said that power tariff had been hiked four times since the Samajwadi Party came to power without any attempt being made to plug the loopholes in distribution system.
They also expressed concern over the plight of farmers and highlighted several problems being faced by the farming community, in “non-distribution” of compensation to those who lost their crops in the unseasonal rain and hailstorm.
The BJP MPs demanded adequate minimum support price for the farmers’ produce. They said corruption was rampant in all departments and no attempt was being made by the government to check it.