In poll-bound Uttar Pradesh, the abuse hurled by suspended State BJP vice-president Dayashankar Singh against Mayawati has come handy for the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP). On Thursday, thousands of BSP workers and leaders laid siege to the Hazratganj crossing in lucknow even as Dalits protested across the country against insult to their icon.
The BSP seemed determined to capitalise on the entire unsavory controversy. While keeping the heat on the BJP inside Parliament, the party also seemed to have sensed this was tailor-made opportunity to fill the fissure in the BSP Dalit vote-bank ahead of the UP polls.
To this end, Mayawati also compared herself to Goddess, claiming her insult was not just another case that could be allowed to be forgotten and forgiven. As she kept the pot boiling in Delhi, her supporters hit the streets wherever the BSP has any electoral base. The issue has revived the party which had suffered reverses recently following the resignation of two senior leaders — Swami Prasad Maurya and RK Chaudhary.
Criticising the BJP for failing to lodge an FIR against Dayashankar, Mayawati said, “To the underprivileged I am like a Devi (Goddess). They are angry.”
While thanking her supporters, who took to the streets in a spontaneous show of solidarity, Mayawati said that just sacking the BJP leader was not enough and he should face arrest for his statements.
“Removing from the party is a normal process. It would have been better if they (BJP) had registered an FIR against him. If BJP leaders themselves filed an FIR against Dayashankar, then they would have won my heart,” she said.
Meanwhile, demanding Dayashankar’s arrest, BSP leader from Chandigarh Jannat Jahan-Ul-Haq has offered Rs 50 lakh to anyone who brings his tongue. As the BSP workers held a protest in Chandigarh against Singh’s remarks, Jannat Jahan courted controversy with her outburst.
“The derogatory language used by Dayashankar against our party chief shows the BJP’s true character. They do not know how to respect women. They are anti-Dalits, anti-farmers and now anti-women also. Such a person (Dayashankar) should be sent to jail immediately,” she said during the protest.
She then added, “Whosoever gets me his (Dayashankar’s) tongue, Jannat Jahan will give him Rs 50 lakh.”
The BSP leader’s remarks evoked sharp reaction from the BJP, which said the party had already acted against Dayashankar and the matter should not be politicised.
“Our party has already acted in the matter. Our senior leader Arun Jaitley has expressed regret over the matter. What else do they wantIJ Now, Jannat Jahan is making such remarks, a wrong cannot be countered by another wrong to make it right,” said Chandigarh BJP president Sanjay Tandon.
However, the BSP leader stuck to her remarks and told reporters after the protest that she stands by what she has said.
“I stand by my statement. Mayawati ji is an iron lady of BSP, using such derogatory remarks cannot be tolerated,” she said.
In lucknow, after a call by the BSP’s UP unit late on Wednesday, thousand of party workers and leaders from across the State converged near the statue of Dr Ambedkar in Hazratganj on Thursday morning and shouted anti-BJP slogans and burnt the effigy of Dayashankar. Senior BSP leaders Nasimuddin Siddiqui, Ramveer Upadhaya and Brajesh Pathak were present at the protest.
The protesters brought traffic movement to a halt in the busy thoroughfare and its adjoining areas for several hours. They broke barricades put up on the road by the police and clashed with them at several places.
later in the afternoon, Siddiqui announced the suspension of the demonstration and handed out a 36-hour ultimatum to the administration for arresting Dayashankar. 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. State BSP chief Ram Achal Rajbhar and other leaders told the reporters that they would not compromise till Dayashankar was arrested and punished for his provocative utterances.
Due to the massive the BSP stir, security at the BJP State headquarters had been tightened since Wednesday night. Security was also deployed at the residence of Dayashankar though he was not traceable in lucknow since Wednesday night.
Reports said that Dayashankar, who absconded after an FIR was lodged against him late Wednesday night, has planned to surrender before a lucknow court.
The police raided the residences of Dayashankar at lucknow and Ballia on Thursday morning but failed to trace him. A senior official told reporters in lucknow that Dayashankar would be arrested soon and his presence was located in Gorakhpur.
After his remarks created uproar, Singh tendered an apology but it was rejected by the BSP. The BJP chose to remove Dayashankar from the post of vice-president and later suspended him. An FIR was lodged against Dayashankar 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 sent it to the concerned police station in Mau for further investigation where Dayashankar made the statement during a chat with media persons.