Akhilesh Yadav – ThePrint – PTIFeed

Aligarh (UP), November 30 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of orchestrating the recent violence in Sambhal to create public awareness of alleged “rigging” in the recent by-elections to distract.

In a sharp criticism of the BJP government, Yadav alleged that the violence was part of a deliberate attempt to divert attention from the government’s “failure to deliver development and growth”.

Speaking to the media, Yadav said, “The BJP has a vested interest in fomenting communal riots to polarize people and divert their attention from its abysmal governance.” The ruling party is trying to “sow discord to cover up its failures and to escape public scrutiny over their lack of progress in key areas such as employment, education and poverty reduction.

“The Uttar Pradesh government staged the recent violence in Sambhal to distract the public from the truth about the rigging of the recent by-elections,” Yadav said.

On November 24, violence broke out in UP’s Sambhal during a court-ordered visit to the Shahi Jama Masjid, leaving four people dead and many others injured. The survey was related to a petition claiming that a Harihar temple once stood on the site of the mosque.

Yadav also expressed frustration over the Sambhal government’s refusal to allow a high-level delegation of the Samajwadi Party to visit the area.

He said: “We urgently want the restoration of peace and complete normality in the area, but how can there be peace if there is no communication with the people living in the affected areas?” He claimed that the district authorities are with The ruling BJP worked hand in hand because they feared that allowing the public to voice their concerns would “expose the truth behind the violence.”

Commenting on the events leading up to the violence, Yadav said, “When the investigation team visited Sambhal Mosque, the local community cooperated fully. There were no problems. Nevertheless, the authorities decided to repeat the survey, this time allowing a group of people to accompany the team who raised provocative slogans.” This action unnecessarily increased tensions, he claimed.

A court-ordered investigation of the mosque was conducted on November 19 and days later, on November 24, the team conducted another investigation. Violence broke out when a large group of people gathered near the mosque and started shouting slogans as the survey team began its work. The demonstrators clashed with security forces, set vehicles on fire and threw stones.

Yadav also accused the Yogi Adityanath government of “deliberately undermining the Constitution of India” by “rigging the elections” in the recent polls. The SP chief said this shows the “systematic manipulation of the electoral system” by the BJP.

In the recent nine-seat by-elections, the SP managed to win only two seats while the BJP and its ally RLD won the remaining seats.

Responding to questions on the Ajmer Dargah in Rajasthan – where a similar petition claiming an earlier temple at the site was allowed by the court – Yadav said the BJP had repeatedly violated the Places of Worship Act, 1991.

He warned that such actions could disrupt peace and harmony in the country. “Instead of focusing on critical issues like education, employment and poverty alleviation, the BJP government is looking for divisive issues to cover up its mistakes,” he said.

Yadav added: “The people of Uttar Pradesh see through this game and in the 2027 elections, the ruling party will have to pay a heavy price for its failure.” PTI COR CDN SKY SKY

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