SP turns hostile towards riot victims

Lucknow: In a sudden turn of mood, the Samajwadi Party leadership has turned hostile towards the riot victims living in relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli and have almost withdrawn their ‘helping hand’ to the victims.

UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, who always insisted that his government was providing all assistance to the riot victims living in the camps, has now told reporters that those living in these camps would be sent home soon.

“The district officials have been asked to ensure the victims are sent home safely,” he said.

The chief minister’s remarks came after Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi visited the relief camps on Sunday and lamented the lack of adequate facilities for those living there.

Samajwadi Party Mulayam Singh Yadav also left many shocked when he said at a party function that those living in the relief camps were not riot victims but were actually riot conspirators. “Those living in the camps are not victims but they belong to Congress and BJP and are staying there to tarnish the image of the government,” he said while addressing party workers.

Yadav’s statement has apparently evoked a sharp reaction form the Muslims since the majority in the camps belong to this community. “There could not be a bigger insult to us than this. We have suffered in the riots, lost our property, our near and dear ones and have been forced to live here since the past three and a half months. Instead of ensuring basic amenities for women and children, these SP leaders are now terming us as riot conspirators,” said Mehmood Altaf, a riot victim, angrily.

A Muslim minister in the Akhilesh government, when contacted, admitted that the statements by the chief minister and the party president were ‘shocking’. “I do not know why they said what they did but many of us are definitely upset. 

How can you term those who have lost everything in the riot as conspirators or BJP/Congress supporters? And then telling them to leave the camps is also insensitive. I have been receiving a number of calls form people in the region but there is nothing I can do and I feel helpless,” he said.

Maulana Nizamuddin, the general secretary of All India Muslim Personal Law Board (AIMPLB) told a news agency over phone that the statement is politically motivated and he (Mulayam) wants to give this issue a political colour.