Referring to the alleged gang rape and murder of a minor girl in Bulandshahr. Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Singh took on the BJP government for its poor track record on the law and order in the State.
“Like the Hathras case, the family of the victim is complaining that their daughter was cremated by the police at night after putting pressure on them but the Chief Minister is busy praising himself for the law and order,” said Mr. Yadav.
The minor died on January 22 in Dibai area of the district. The police said the post-mortem had not confirmed rape and that the girl was shot dead by the boy she was in a relationship with.
The boy, who allegedly tried to kill himself after the incident, has been arrested and is charged with murder and relevant Sections of the POCSO Act.
The case assumed political colour after the family members accused Bharatiya Janata Party’s Shikarpur candidate Anil Sharma, a Minister in the Yogi Adityanath government, for providing patronage to the Brahmin boys allegedly involved in the case. Mr. Singh has tweeted about the case, putting pressure on the administration.
In his election speeches, the CM has been targeting Mr. Yadav for his government’s poor track record on law and order and shielding the criminal elements.
Mr. Yadav took on the belligerent tone of Mr. Adityanath during election rallies and asked “if he were compressor that would take or reduce the heat of people. A CM should not use undignified words and we would request the Election Commission to take note of it. “We will fight the BJP with bhaichara [brotherhood]. I have been saying all along jo paida kare khaiee wo hai bhajpayi. [the one who creates division is the BJP]”.
He also charged the government with ignoring the interests of the farmers as there was no mention of its electoral promise of doubling their income by 2022 in the Budget.
Priyanka arrives
Towards the end of the day, the campaign took an interesting turn when the paths of Mr Yadav's rath and Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s SUV, who was campaigning in Anoopshahr and Sikandrabad, crossed in Bulandshahr. Ms. Vadra waived at Mr. Yadav and Mr. Singh and the duo got on top of the repurposed bus and greeted her with folded hands. Smiles were shared and the supporters of both the parties broke into a spontaneous cheer.
