Mayawati demands President's rule in UP

Bahujan Samaj Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati Monday demanded imposition of President's rule in the state following sectarian violence in Muzaffarnagar district.

Mayawati criticised the Samajwadi Party regime for "failing to control communal flare-ups and (deteriorating) law and order". Communal clashes have left at least 28 dead over the past two days in Muzaffarnagar district.

"The present state government has acted very late. It has allowed communal tensions to simmer for 10 days and I can say that they are presiding over jungle raaj in the state," Mayawati told reporters in New Delhi.

Mayawati also refuted the charge of the SP government that the Bharatiya Janata Party was behind the riots, and said that she did not buy this theory as the matter escalated from a trivial case Aug 27.  "The state government is trying to hide behind falsehood and trying to cover up its incompetence," she added.