Retaliating to BJP vice-president Daya Shankar Singh's derogatory remarks against party chief Mayawati, thousands of BSP workers and leaders laid seige to the Hazratganj crossing on Thursday and besides demanding immediate arrest of the accused, heaped expletives on Singh and his kin.
After a call by the state unit late on Wednesday, BSP workers and leaders from across the state converged in lucknow in huge numbers for the demonstartion. The plan to agitate has somewhat revived the party which had suffered reverses recently following the resignation of two senior leaders-- Swami Prasad Maurya and RK Chaudhary.
The BSP activists congregated near the statue of Dr Ambedkar in Hazratganj on Thursday morning and shouted anti-BJP slogans and burnt the effigy of Daya Shankar Singh. They were by party leaders Nasimuddin Siddiqui, Ramveer Upadhaya, Brajesh Pathak and other senior functionaries.
Their mammoth presence brought traffic movement to a halt in the busy thoroughfare and its adjoining areas for several hours.
The angry protestors broke barricades put up on the road by the police and clashed with them at several places.
later in the afternoon senior BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui announced the suspension of the demonstration and handed out 36-hour ultimatum to the administration for arresting Singh. He said that if the government failed to nab the accused, then the BSP workers will again take to the streets and force the administration to initiate criminal proceedings against the BJP leader.
Meanwhile, Daya Shanker, who absconded after an FIR was lodged against him late Wednesday night, had planned to surrender before a lucknow court to take political mileage out of the controversy.
Earlier, state BSP chief president Ram Achal Rajbhar and other leaders told the reporters at the demonstration site that Singh's act pointed towards the mentality of the BJP. "We would not compromise till Singh is arrested and punished for his provocative utterances," said Rajbhar.
Due to the massive BSP stir, security at the BJP state headquarters had been spruced up since Wednesday night with heavy contingent of police forces guardigits premises on the Vidhan Sabha Marg. Security was also deployed at the residence of Daya Shanker Singh though he was not traceable in lucknow since Wednesday night.
On its part, the police raided the residences of Daya Shanker at lucknow and Ballia on Thursday morning but failed to trace him. A senior official told reporters inlucknow that Singh would be arrested soon and his presence was located in Gorakhpur.
After his remarks figured in Rajya Sabha proceedings on Wednesday, Singh later tendered an apology for his remark but it was rejected by the BSP. The BJP choe to remove Singh from the post of vice-president and later expelled him from the party for six years. An FIR was lodged against Singh at the Hazratganj police station on the basis of a two-page complaint submitted on behalf on national BSP secretary Mewa lal Gautam later on Wednesday night. Subsequently, a case was registered under Sections 153 (A), 504 and 509 of IPC and relevant Sections of the SC / ST Act.
After lodging the FIR, the lucknow Police has sent it to the concerned police station in Mau for further investigation where Singh made the statement during a chat with media persons.