Samajwadi party national 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 Congress and BJP blaming SP leadership for politicizing 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 Congress and 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 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. 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 last one month. To cover up the failure of Samajwadi Party Government Mulayam Singh Yadav has given a political colour to the whole issue," he said.
Congress spokesman Amarnath Agarwal 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 Chief Minister, Samajwadi Party decided to disown those who are languishing without food and water in the camps," Agarwal said.
Meanwhile, Mulayam Singh said that only Samajwadi party can counter communal forces in the state. "Our target is to get power in the Centre. The people have voted us to power in Uttar Pradesh and will do the same during lok Sabha election," Yadav Sr. told party workers who had come to meet him in party office on Tuesday.