Congress Takes Dig At Samajwadi Party’s Ongoing Tussle

Lucknow: The Congress today took a jibe at the ongoing tussle in the “Samajwadi pariwar”, saying that despite giving full attention to the “law and order of the family, instead of the state”, things (in the family) have gone out of hands.

“The law and order of the state has remained dismal over the last four-and-a-half years as no attention was given to it. How could they (SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav’s clan) have taken it seriously when all their concerns were towards their family. But, that too has not been managed well and eventually, the differences have come to the fore,” Congress spokesman RPN Singh told a press conference in the presence of another party spokesman Meem Afzal and senior leader Rajiv Shukla.

“The chief minister has said that the tussle is not of the family, but of the government. But, what is the difference? It is the family which is in the government as well,” he said.

Referring to the killing of three persons of a particular community at Badaun yesterday, Mr Afzal accused the SP and the BJP of “being involved in vitiating the communal atmosphere” in the state ahead of the 2017 Assembly election.

“Both (SP, BJP) were responsible for the Muzaffarnagar riots before the last Lok Sabha election and they are again trying to pollute the atmosphere of the state ahead of the Assembly polls,” he alleged, adding that the BJP wanted to come to power by “instigating riots”, although “the people have already rejected it”.

Mr Shukla cited the example of Delhi when Sheila Dixit was the chief minister there and claimed that development had taken place wherever the Congress was in power.

Ms Dixit is the Congress’ chief ministerial candidate in the Uttar Pradesh polls.

“Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi’s yatra is gaining the confidence of the people who are supporting it in a big way,” Mr Shukla claimed.

PTI