Bahraich Violence: Akhilesh Yadav accuses BJP of conspiracy

SP chief Akhilesh Yadav. (Pic/PTI)

The Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has publicly accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of conspiring against its own people following recent Bahraich violence.

Akhilesh Yadav's statement comes in the wake of a BJP MLA, Sureshwar Singh, filing an FIR against his party colleague in the Mahrajganj violence case, reported news agency PTI.

Yadav took to social media platform X (formerly Twitter) to share a news report detailing the FIR lodged on October 18 by Singh, who represents Bahraich's Mahsi seat. The complaint named seven individuals, including Arpit Srivastava, the city president of the Bharatiya Janata Yuva Morcha (BJYM), for rioting and other serious offences.

The SP supremo alleged that the BJP is deliberately inciting riots for political gain and the rioters themselves are "revealing the truth" before hidden cameras.

The BJP is yet to respond to Yadav's latest attack on the party over the communal violence in the Maharajganj town of Bahraich district last week, PTI stated.

"Shame on such BJP politics and BJP's hunger for power, which conspires to incite riots... for politics. Every day new revelations are being made in the case of Bahraich violence and the BJP is not able to show its face. BJP MLAs themselves are filing FIRs against BJP members for conspiracy and the rioters are revealing the truth in front of hidden cameras," the SP chief said on X in Hindi.

"The few supporters and voters of BJP that are left are now also ashamed to see this conspiratorial and violent form of the BJP. The BJP has used the sentiments of its supporters by misleading them to save and maintain its power. The truth is that BJP is conspiring against its own people," he added.

Yadav said that the internal conflict within the BJP is evident, as its members are now filing complaints against one another. He also said that this demonstrates the party's disconnect from its own supporters and claimed that many BJP voters are now embarrassed by the party's actions.

"UP kahe aaj ka, nahin chahiye Bhajpa (Today's UP says it doesn't need the BJP)," he said.

Yadav also shared a media report with his post in which two alleged rioters filmed on hidden cameras point towards a conspiracy behind the communal violence in Maharajganj and make several "revelations", stated PTI.

The communal violence in Maharajganj broke out after 22-year-old Ram Gopal Mishra was shot dead during a Durga idol immersion procession on October 13.

Following this incident, MLA Singh filed an FIR against Srivastava and others for their alleged involvement in inciting violence. The police confirmed that this case marks the twelfth FIR related to the disturbances.

On the complaint of Singh, a case was registered against Srivastava, Anuj Singh Raikwar, Shubham Mishra, Kushmendra Chaudhary, Manish Chandra Shukla, Pundrik Pandey and Sudhanshu Singh Rana as well as unknown rioters under relevant sections of Bharatiya Nyaya Sanhita.

Singh alleged that upon arriving at Bahraich Medical College to transport Mishra's body, he faced hostility from Srivastava and his supporters, who reportedly shouted slogans against him and attempted to attack his vehicle.

Apart from this, stones were also pelted with the intention of stopping his car and killing him, Singh claimed. A bullet was also fired by the mob due to which the glass of his car broke and his son Akhand Pratap Singh narrowly escaped, the Mahsi MLA added, stated PTI.

(With inputs from PTI)