Communist Party of India (Marxist) central committee member Subhasini Ali alleged complicity of the Akhilesh Yadav government with the BJP and its organisations in the Muzaffarnagar violence that had taken a toll of 49 lives.
“The situation is Muzaffarnagar and its adjoining districts is explosive and women and children of both the communities are the most harassed,’’ the firebrand former MP told a news conference here in the presence of UP CPI(M) Secretary S P Kashyap, on Tuesday afternoon.
Ali, who visited Muzaffarnagar and other affected places on last Friday, claimed that the Samajwadi Party government did not take any pre-emptive action to contain the violence despite prior indications. ‘’The conspiracy has been exposed by not arresting the accused including the BJP MlAs and the leaders of other political parties,’’ she said. She claimed that the BJP and its organisations are hell-bent on communal polarisation of the society to derive political mileage in the 2014 lok Sabha elections.
‘’Failure of the UPA-11 government and the projection by BJP of Narendra Modi as its PM candidate has made the situation more grave,’’ she alleged. Subhasini Ali cited the arrest of Dalit intellectual Kamal Bharati and the lack of action against those who allegedly fanned the communal cauldron including BJP MlA Sangeet Som and other party leaders as proof of the double standards of the SP government. She said to have found during her visit to relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli districts that the State government had failed to provide relief to the victims who were forced to seek assistance from their near and dear. The CPI(M) central committee member said the district administration had failed to prevent the two mahapanchayats, one of Muslims on August 31 and another on September 7, despite Section 144 of the Cr PC being in force. ‘’On August 31, several Muslim political leaders delivered provocative speeches while the BJP and other leaders fanned tensions at the mahapanchayat on September 7, triggering the violence,’’ she alleged. She claimed that it was a matter of regret that the phenomenon of eve-teasing had become commonplace in western UP and youths of both the communities are involved in it.’’ But the sad part of this violence is that a majority of the victims were women and children and it portends that in future girls would be prevented from going to schools or colleges,’’ the CPI(M)leader added.
Ali said that while poor villagers are being arrested, authorities are shielding political leaders and others. She questioned the lack of action against those responsible for those guilty of the three murders at Kawal village which triggered the spiral of violence. The CPI(M) leader demanded arrest of the guilty, equal compensation for the victims, rehabilitation of the displaced and strict action on the youths involved in eve-teasing. She claimed that she will also submit her findings to the State government as well as to the party high command.