UP unrest: Congress defends; BJP attacks Rahul

Cornered over his seemingly unsubstantiated allegations of murder and rape in Greater Noida villages for land grab by the Mayawati government, the Congress said on Wednesday that Rahul Gandhi was misquoted by the media.

Congress spokesperson Janardhan Dwivedi requested the media to not report the charges specifically but instead focus on “assault and plunder”.

“We deny these media reports,” Dwivedi said. ?I don’t want to comment on Rahul Gandhi’s statement.?

The Congress spokesperson said the reports are results of ?hypocritical behaviour?.

“Rahul said there was a 70-foot diameter mound of ashes. The diameter increased to 74 foot and ashes became bodies. This is serious. We deny 100 per cent of all that has been printed and broadcast,? he said.

Dwivedi defended Rahul?s statement of people being killed in Greater Noida villages and said he spoke on the basis of what people told him.

“Rahul said what people reported to him. If the reports are incorrect, then it?s okay; else the matter is really serious,? Dwivedi said.

Meanwhile, Rahul said Congress will fight atrocities by Maya government in every village.

He inaugurated the two-day convention of Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee (UPCC ) in Varanasi on Wednesday.

?Congress workers in UP are ready to give their blood and toil. Congress will fight for the poor. We have started in Bhatta-Parsaul, we will fight them [Mayawati government] in every village. We will drive out this government and show,? said the Gandhi scion.

He said it is not the fight for votes but the future of Uttar Pradesh. Rahul said he would fight for justice for all.

?I will go to each and every corner of UP and fight alongside you,? said Rahul on farmers’ issue. ?Bhatta-Parsaul only the beginning, we will go to every village.?

Rahul said the village (Bhatta-Parsaul) was deserted when he went there and the villagers questioned him on the oppression there.

?People of Bhatta Parsaul asked many question, like; why are our homes being burnt? Why are our people being killed??

Rahul demanded judicial inquiry into incidents in Bhatta Parsaul.

?Why is there is no judicial probe in the Bhatta-Parsaul incident,? Rahul said. ?If everything is okay in Bhatta-Parsaul, then why Section 144 is reimposed there??

Reacting to Rahul supporting UP farmers, India?s main opposition Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) said it is nothing but his ?tactics to secure vote bank?.

“For Rahul Gandhi, the entire issue is related to politics. He is not concerned about farmers and their issues?these are not important for him. He claims to be fighting for farmers’ rights just for vote bank politics,” BJP national vice president Kalraj Mishra said at a press conference.

Mishra said BJP has proof that several villagers are missing in UP.

“To our knowledge, several locals are still missing from the village. We also fear many have been killed. The Uttar Pradesh government must provide an account of all the missing villagers immediately,” he said.

The Congress general secretary met Prime Minister Manmohan Singh in New Delhi on Monday evening over the farmers? agitation in Uttar Pradesh with a delegation of villagers from Greater Noida and accused the Mayawati government of resorting to murder and rape to acquire land.

Rahul and an eight member delegation of agitating farmers met Singh at his 7 Race Course Road residence, and said the Uttar Pradesh government was brutalizing the farmers.

?I met the Prime Minister and I am very concerned about what is going on. The situation is still pretty bad,? he told reporters after the meeting.

?The villagers said they like to meet the PM and so I facilitated that. It was an eight member delegation. They had a good conversation with the PM. He listened patiently, that was the idea,? he said.

“The issue here is more fundamental,” he said when told why the Congress is delaying a land acquisition bill.

Rahul alleged that the Mayawati government is oppressing villagers in the name of land acquisition.

?State oppression has been used. People were murdered,? he said.

He said women were raped, people killed and houses have been destroyed.

He said there are pictures of places where people were killed.

“What I am concerned about is how we are meeting our own people. Most poor people said they want to give land and want development. They would be more than happy. They are ready to sacrifice. But the question is how we treat them, whether we treat them fairly or we brutalize them,” said Rahul.

He said the Land Acquisition Bill will come in the next session of Parliament but the question in Greater Noida is of atrocities on the farmers.

Rahul reached the affected Bhatta Parsaul village in Greater Noida evading policemen on May 11. He was later arrested and released.

Faced with an opposition protest in alliance with the angry farmers of Greater Nodia, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Mayawati on May 12 said the opposition is playing dirty politics and misleading the farmers and instigating violence for political gains.

“They are out to malign our image. But our paty [Bahujan Samaj Party] will overcome the slander campaign,” said Mayawati in a press conference here, claiming that the farmers were adequately compensated but the opposition is spreading rumours.

Rahul was arrested and later released by Uttar Pradesh police at wee hours on May 12 after a day of high drama on May 11.