BSP holds protests, demands swift action

Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) workers took to the streets in Lucknow on Thursday to demand “stringent action” against expelled BJP leader Dayashankar Singh who had made derogatory remarks against BSP president Mayawati.

The protests continued for more than four hours after which senior leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui announced that the party had given a 36-hour ultimatum to the police to arrest Dayashankar Singh. He said that the party would resume its agitation if the police failed to arrest the accused.

The huge groups of party workers chanted “phansi do phasi do” and demanded that Dayashankar Singh, against whom an FIR was registered late on Wednesday night at the Hazratganj police station, should immediately be arrested.

The massive protests were led by senior leaders Mr Siddiqui, Anant Misra and Intezar Abdi Bobby. BSP workers, in a seemingly angry mood, had started collecting at the Ambedkar statue since early in the morning, catching the local police unawares.

The time for the protest had been fixed for 9 am, but messages sent from the BSP office to various districts on Wednesday night asked party workers to reach Lucknow “at the earliest”. As a result, crowds started collecting at the Ambedkar crossing since 7 am, throwing the morning traffic out of gear.

The protestors burnt effigies of the expelled leader — some of them with abuses printed on them — and some party leaders used highly derogatory remarks against the female family members of the expelled BJP leader.

A heavy deployment of police force was made around the area of protest and security was also beefed up at the BJP state headquarters which lies about 500 metres from the protest area. Security has also been posted at the residence of Dayashankar Singh in Lucknow and Ballia.

Meanwhile, the BSP is trying to give a casteist colour to the incident and accuse the BJP of its anti-dalit mentality.

Senior BSP leader Mewa Lal Gautam who registered the FIR against Dayashankar Singh on Wednesday night, told reporters that since Mr Singh was a thakur by caste, his anti-dalit mentality had found a reflection in his words.

“What he said was deliberate and intended to humiliate the Bahujan Samaj. Our people will never tolerate an insult to our leaders and we will teach this person and his party a lesson,” he said.

Meanwhile, state BJP president Keshav Maurya told reporters on Thursday that the BSP was unnecessarily trying o prolong the issue and derive political mileage by vitiating the atmosphere.

“All possible action has been taken at the party level and legal action has also been initiated. It is now up to the law to take its course and the BSP should wait for that,” he said.