Aligarh/New Delhi, August 16: A day after three persons were killed in police firing on agitating farmers, the opposition parties today stepped up attack on Mayawati Government demanding its dismissal and disrupted Parliament proceedings.
Hundreds of agitating farmers continued their indefinite sit-in in Jikarpur village, where police had opened fire yesterday on rampaging protesters, to press for higher compensation for land acquired for a township along Taj Expressway.
Officials said no untoward incident has been reported as a heavy continent of security personnel has been deployed in nearly a dozen villages along the Expressway connecting Noida to Agra.
Extending their support to the agitating farmers, opposition leaders, including former BJP president Rajnath Singh, Leader of Opposition in UP assembly Shiv Pal Singh Yadav and RLD leader Ajit Singh, today made a beeline for the village.
The ruling BSP, however, hit back at the opposition, accusing it of doing politics over bodies of the dead.
“There should not be any politics over dead bodies. The Congress has joined hands with BJP and SP in doing politics over the bodies of dead farmers,” BSP MP S C Mishra said.
“There is only one solution of this problem….dismiss this (Mayawati) government,” SP President Mulayam Singh Yadav told reporters in Delhi after both Lok Sabha and Rajya Sabha were adjourned for the day following uproar over the issue.
RLD MP Jayant Chaudhary too demanded dismissal of the BSP government in Uttar Pradesh.
Addressing a ‘mahapanchayat’ in Jikarpur, Rajnath Singh sought “immediate action” against district officials found prima facie responsible for yesterday’s incident.
Rejecting the UP government’s move to order judicial inquiry into the episode, the BJP leader said “it would be time consuming and would only delay justice for the victims”.
He claimed that “the poor farmers were being forced to part with their land without just compensation” and demanded release of all arrested farmers and “meaningful talks” to resolve the issue.
In Mathura area, a group of agitators pelted stones on police when they tried to stop them from moving out of village Baghai.
“No untoward incident has been reported during last 24 hours. Attempt to make villagers agree to an amicable settlement on the compensation dispute are on,” District Magistrate Dinesh Chandra Shukla said.
Mayawati Government had yesterday shunted out Dvisional Commissioner of Aligarh J B Sinha, District Magistrate Rama Rao and SSP Vijay Prakash and announced a compensation of Rs five lakh to each of the bereaved families.
–Agencies