KAUSHAMBI/PRAYAGRAJ: BJP national president J P Nadda on Thursday called the SP "supporter of anti-nationals", alleging that the party tried to withdraw cases against "terrorists" when it was in power in Uttar Pradesh.
"Goons" is a small word for them, Nadda said at Kaushambi's Sirathu after Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya submitted his nomination papers for the state Assembly polls.
"They are supporters of anti-nationals," said Nadda, alleging that the Akhilesh Yadav-led previous regime in the state tried to withdraw cases against "terrorists" involved in bomb blasts in the state. "A special court in Gorakhpur has awarded life sentence to one of them," Nadda said.
In another incident, a CRPF camp in Rampur was attacked, in which seven soldiers were killed.
The CBI arrested seven people in the case but Akhilesh Yadav tried to withdraw the case against them in the direction of the person, who is currently fighting the elections from jail," Nadda alleged, apparently referring to Samajwadi Party leader Azam Khan.
"Of the seven, four were awarded capital punishment and three got life imprisonment," he said. "If such people rule state, there will be "mafia raj," Nadda said. "Their leaders are resting either in jails or are out on bail," he added.
Nadda also accused opposition parties of being promoting casteism and dynastic politics. He said the BJP scrapped the special status of Jammu and Kashmir with the strategy of Union Home Minister Amit Shah and the conviction of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
"We are busy in the construction of the Ram temple but other parties are busy obstructing it. People who were responsible for firing on 'kar sewaks' are now visiting temples," he said referring to an incident during the Samajwadi Party regime in 1990.
He also credited PM Modi with the construction of a new corridor at the Kashi Vishwanath temple in Varanasi.
Our party has brought a law against triple talaq, which the parties who do politics of appeasement were not able to do despite a Supreme Court order, Nadda claimed. "Modi has provided Rs 5 lakh health insurance cover to poor people of the country," he said.
ALSO READ: SP leader murdered in UP's Balrampur
Hitting out at the Samajwadi Party, the BJP president said, "They are saying that they will give free electricity. When they were in power, they didn't even give electricity. We have ensured that electricity reaches every corner of the state. " The rally was also addressed by BJP leader Dharmendra Pradhan and Apna Dal (S) chief Anupriya Patel.
They all sought votes for the Maurya from Sirathu and for the NDA to form the next BJP government in the state. Later in Prayagraj, Nadda alleged that criminals were patronised under the Akhilesh-Yadav-led government.
He said people will remember that under the leadership of Akhilesh, there was dynasty politics, "mafia raj" and hooliganism. The SP government gave protection to terrorists, he said.
"On the other hand, the Adityanath government ended mafia rule, gave security to women, and worked for everyone's development, he said.
Earlier in the day, UP minister Siddharth Nath Singh filed his nomination papers as a BJP candidate from the Prayagraj (West) Assembly segment. During a program outside the party office before the filing of nominations, rumours of an attack on minister Siddharth Nath Singh spread.
District's Senior Superintendent of Police Ajay Kumar denied the news of the attack on the minister. He said, "The news of the attack on Siddharth Nath Singh is being run in the media, which is completely untrue."
The SSP said when he went to the spot he found that a 26-year-old man, identified as Jaunpur resident Himanshu Dubey had threatened to commit suicide by consuming a pesticide. "Police have arrested him," he said.