Thaindian News

Ghaziabad, May 12 (IANS) Senior Bharatiya Janata Party leader Rajnath Singh, who began a day-long fast here in support of protesting farmers in Greater Noida and to draw attention to the “deteriorating law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh”, was arrested but refused to call off his agitation.

Slamming his arrest, he said it was the first instance when a person peacefully sitting on a fast without any danger to his health had been arrested. “It is a sign of weakness of the government,” he said.

Leader of Opposition in the Rajya Sabha Arun Jaitley, BJP leaders Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi and Ashok Pradhan, Janata Dal-United general secretary K.C. Tyagi, and state BJP president Surya Pratap Shahi were among the leaders who were also arrested.

Rajnath Singh, who was arrested Monday while proceeding to Bhatta-Parsaul village - the epicentre of the farmers’ agitation demanding higher compensation for their land acquired by the government - said he was protesting in Ghaziabad - his Lok Sabha constituency - as prohibitory orders were in force in Greater Noida.

As the former BJP president and Uttar Pradesh chief minister began his fast at the Ambedkar Market here at 12 noon, District Magistrate Hridesh Kumar and Senior Superintendent of Police Raghvir Lall reached the site and arrested all the leaders on apprehension of breach of peace under section 151 of the Criminal Procedure Code.

The leaders were taken to the police lines and freed but Rajnath Singh refused to be freed. On his refusal, the district administration took him to the Housing Corporation guest house in Vasundhara area.

Rajnath Singh announced that since he had already announced 24-hour fast, he would continue it till 12 noon Friday.

Earlier, speaking at the site of his fast, he said the law and order situation in the state under Chief Minister Mayawati had “deteriorated to the lowest levels”.

Quoting from the national crime record statistics, Rajnath Singh said the situation in Uttar Pradesh was “worse than Jammu and Kashmir which is considered to be the epicentre of terrorism in the country”.

He said the BJP would continue its agitation in support of the farmers in Greater Noida and other parts of the state.

Rajnath Singh also described the sit-in of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi in support of farmers in Bhatta-Parsaul Wednesday as a “drama”.

“Why should Rahul sit on dharna? He has the central government in Delhi. Why doesn’t he take up the issue there,” he asked.

Clashes had broken out between farmers and the police in Greater Noida Saturday, resulting in the death of four people, including two policemen.