Thaindian News

Lucknow, July 22 (IANS) The ruling Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) held demonstrations in different parts of the state Wednesday, protesting Congress leader Rita Bahuguna Joshi’s remarks against Chief Minister Mayawati. Party workers also expressed pride at her house having been set ablaze.
The protest demonstrations organised at party chief Mayawati’s behest in the state were to mark what was termed as “the day of shame”.

In Lucknow and Bhikapur (Faizabad), the protests were led by two men who are key accused in the arson attack at Joshi’s residence.

In Moradabad, where Joshi had uttered the remarks that offended Mayawati, BSP activists were disappointed as the chief minister abandoned her plan to address a rally there.

The Lucknow protest, which drew 1,000-1,500 people, was led by Intezar Abdi ‘Bobby’, who, within 48 hours of being named as an accused in the arson attack on Joshi’s house, was ‘rewarded’ with the chairmanship of a public undertaking, carrying a minister’s rank. The BSP activists raised anti-Joshi and anti-Congress slogans, while warning the Congress leadership to “behave”.

Similarly, it was the ruling party’s Bhikapur legislator Jitendra Singh ‘Babloo’ who spearheaded the anti-Congress protests in his constituency.

While both these BSP activists denied their involvement in the attack on Joshi’s house, their family members as well as party colleagues proudly declared them as “heroes”.

Jitendra Singh’s father Iksha Ram told a TV channel in Bhikapur: “Even if my son were to indulge in arson for the sake of upholding the honour of our Behenji (Mayawati), I would have no regrets.”

Faizabad-based BSP leader Awadhesh Pande declared: “It should be considered a matter of pride for the party to have its activists burning down houses of those who have the cheek to use intemperate language against our party leader.”

He added: “If Babloo had actually been involved with the burning of the house, he would have done his father proud.”

Both Singh and Abdi, however, went about giving themselves clean chits. Referring to TV visuals showing him leading the arson July 15, Singh said: “The channel has faked my visuals using animation tricks.”

Abdi told the gathering outside the Lucknow Collectorate: “I have nothing to do with the arson, but sure enough I will do anything in support of my leader Behenji.”

Joshi’s house in Lucknow was set on fire Wednesday night allegedly by a group of BSP workers because her remarks offended Mayawati both as a woman and a Dalit.

Joshi was arrested early Thursday and charged under the Scheduled Castes and Scheduled Tribes (Prevention of Atrocities) Act. She was granted bail by a Moradabad court Saturday. She has already apologised for her remarks.

The Uttar Pradesh government has asked the crime branch-criminal investigation department (CB-CID) to investigate the arson attack, but the Congress has insisted on a Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI) probe.