No victims at riot camps, all Congress, BJP supporters, claims Mulayam

Lucknow: SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav today created a flutter when he claimed that no riot-hit victim was left at the relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and only supporters of Congress and BJP were staying there as part of a conspiracy to tarnish the image of his party's government in UP.

Yadav's claim at an event here came even as Rahul Gandhi's surprise visit to Muzaffarnagar to meet the riot victims yesterday triggered a fresh round of sparring between Samajwadi Party(SP) and Congress.

With the Uttar Pradesh government facing flak for the prevailing conditions at the relief camps, he alleged that the visit by the Congress Vice President was aimed at inciting people.

Union Minister Beni Prasad Verma also fired a fresh salvo at the state government accusing it of not providing proper facilities and said it should resign if it had any morality left.

Gandhi had hit out at the state government alleging the conditions in the relief camps were "very bad".

"There are no riot victims at all in the camps. There is not even one. You can check. These are people who are conspirators. BJP and Congress have conspired. They have asked people to stay there at night and sit in dharnas. This is conspiracy of the people there.

"They(riot victims) have all gone. Congress and BJP are provoking them...," Yadav said. Yadav's remarks evoked condemnation from the Congress and the BJP.

Congress leader Akhilesh Pratap Singh said Yadav's claims contradicted the affidavit filed by the UP government in the Supreme Court recently while BJP's Sudhanshu Mittal dubbed it as "appalling". 

Yadav questioned Gandhi's visit, saying people living in relief camps were misled by Congress and BJP men.

"Where was he when there was injustice? He earlier returned from Muzaffarnagar after just waving hands. Congress and BJP leaders used to visit the relief camps in the night and mislead people there.This is all a conspiracy of Congress and BJP," Yadav said addressing party workers at SP headquarters here.

"Now, they have reached there for inciting the people," he alleged. Stating that the UP government had done whatever was possible for the victims, Yadav said while Rs five lakh was given for construction of houses, Rs 2 lakh was given for purchase of essential items. "No such facilities were given to such victims anywhere in India", he said.

Verma promised to set up five steel camps for providing shelter to riot-hit people in view of biting cold prevailing in the region. "If there is any morality left and the government had any real concern about Muslims and the country, it should resign.

Let there be President's rule and peace and order would be established in a week's time", the Congress leader said while talking to newspersons. "I have already given directives to my ministry to set by five steel camps which would be completed in 15 to 20 days time for providing shelter to those living in the relief camps.

I appeal to the state government that if they are not able to do anything for the victims they can tell me and I will definitely get it done by talking to Rahul Gandhi", the Steel Minister said.

Regretting that conditions in the relief camps were not good with winter setting in, Verma claimed though the SP government is regarded as sympathetic towards Muslims, the people in the camps were bereft of ration, blankets and security.