New Delhi/Lucknow: Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav late on Wednesday cancelled plans to campaign for senior minister and party candidate Gayatri Prajapati in Amethi on Thursday. Prajapati is an accused in a rape case.
Mulayam was to address a public meeting in favour of Prajapati at Gayadeyi Degree College in Amethi.
Despite the strategic poll alliance between the Samajwadi Party and the Congress, candidates from both the parties are pitted against each other in Amethi. Congress candidate Ameeta Singh is pitted against the controversial state minister.
On the directives of the Supreme Court, UP Police has filed an FIR against Prajapati, a senior SP leader, in connection with separate cases of gang rape and attempt to rape another woman and her minor daughter.
On Monday, Akhilesh did not want to share stage with Prajapati and had asked the organisers of the rally to ensure that he was not present when he spoke. Accordingly, Prajapati had left the dais before the Chief Minister arrived and sat in the audience silently.
Akhilesh, in his election rally at Gauriganj in Amethi district, did not make any reference to his controversial cabinet colleague during his entire speech.
Opposition parties have made it a big issue with the BJP targeting Priyanka Gandhi over her poll campaign in Raebareli for the Congress-SP alliance, saying it was unfortunate that she was seeking votes for those accused of "rape and murder".
Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday raked up the Prajapati issue, saying at an election rally that the Supreme Court had to intervene to get the minister booked in an alleged rape case.
"The SC had to intervene to get the FIR registered against Gayatri Prasad Prajapati. 'Goonda raj' is prevailing all over UP and police stations have become Samajwadi Party office," Modi had said.
Amethi is the Gandhi family pocket borough and is represented by Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi in the Lok Sabha, while neighbouring Rae Bareli is represented by party chief and Rahul's mother Sonia Gandhi in Lok Sabha.
(With PTI inputs)
Comments
0 comment