Prohibitory orders lifted not to suit Rahul: Uttar Pradesh

May 11th, 2011 - 9:15 pm ICT by IANS  

Rahul Gandhi Lucknow, May 11 (IANS) The Uttar Pradesh government Wednesday said the prohibitory orders in Greater Noida’s Bhatta Parsaul village were lifted Tuesday and the decision was not made to suit visiting Congress leaders.

“Section 144 was lifted Tuesday… no action was taken in wake of the visit of Congress leaders,” Uttar Pradesh Home Secretary Deepak Kumar told reporters.

He was reacting to the Bharatitya Janata Party’s (BJP) allegation that the prohibitory orders were lifted because of Congress general secretary Rahul Gandhi’s visit to the village Wednesday.

“The information of Rahul Gandhi’s arrival came late to us, after he was already there at around 8 a.m. today (Wednesday),” Kumar said.

Earlier, former BJP president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Rajnath Singh said: “It is disheartening to know that when senior Congress leaders like Digvijay Singh and Rahul Gandhi visited the village, the government removed Section 144 (that bans assembly of more than five people)”.

The home secretary said that it is up to the local administration to decide if any “legal action” should be taken on Rahul Gandhi’s sitting on strike with the farmers.

Four people were killed in Bhatta Parsaul village when agitating farmers, protesting against land acquisition, and police exchanged gunfire Saturday.

Rahul Gandhi reached the village at 6 a.m. Wednesday and sat with the protesting farmers to show solidarity with their cause.

The farmers are agitating for higher compensation for land taken for constructing the 156-km Yamuna Expressway, which will link New Delhi with Agra.

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