Akhilesh says Mukhtar Ansari's MLA son Abbas 'deliberately disqualified' by govt

     Lucknow, Jun 6 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said SBSP MLA Abbas Ansari was disqualified from the Uttar Pradesh Assembly "deliberately" by the government and said he saw caste bias in such matters.
     Ansari, the son of gangster-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari, was disqualified as MLA after he was sentenced to a two-year jail term in a hate speech case.
     He won from the Mau Sadar assembly seat on a Suheldev Bhartiya Samaj Party (SBSP) ticket when the party was in an alliance with the Samajwadi Party in 2022. The SBSP has since switched to the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance and its party president is a cabinet minister.
     Responding to a question on Ansari's disqualification, Yadav told reporters, "A case will be registered against me if I say something. Abbas Ansari's membership was deliberately taken away. The government took it away."
     "If MLAs can be disqualified due to such statements, then look at the kind of statements people in the government are making. Will they remind me of my DNA? Will they question samajwadis' DNA? Those who made these statements, will they be also disqualified?" he asked.
     Yadav's charge on "DNA" stems from a war of words last month between his party and the ruling BJP over Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak's remarks on the "DNA of Samajwadi Party".
     BJP leaders at the time had slammed a post by the SP's official X handle regarding the deputy CM.
     Pathak had later hit out saying the SP was "born with the DNA of Muslim appeasement", explaining that he was referring to their "political DNA" and not family lineage.
     Yadav asked those making statements on the DNA of his party members will face similar action in courts.
     "I think some of these actions are taken on the basis of caste. Sometimes people are getting certain posts to get a specific verdict. That's why we have been saying that the Constitution is in danger," the SP leader said.
He said only SP leaders are losing members over their statements. "Will BJP leaders never lose membership over their statements? he asked.
     The Mau seat that Ansari represented is now vacant.
     During the last assembly elections, Ansari was accused of threatening the Mau administration during a public meeting at Paharpur ground. He allegedly said he will settle scores and teach them a lesson after the elections.
     Ansari was convicted by the MP-MLA court under Indian Penal Code sections 189 (threat to cause harm to public servant), 153-A (promoting enmity between different groups on the basis of religion, caste, place of birth, residence and language and spoiling the harmony), 171F (undue influence in election) and 506 (criminal intimidation).
     He was sentenced to two years imprisonment in the 2022 hate speech case by a special MP-MLA court on May 31.
     Under the Representation of the People Act, there is a provision to terminate the membership of the legislative house if the court sentences a member to two years or more.
     Launching a scathing attack on the BJP and RSS, Yadav said, "BJP governments are based on lies. Its parent organisation (RSS) is an unregistered factory in Nagpur. It produces hatred and distance in society."
     "Its awful propaganda has left Hitler's infamous propaganda minister Goebbels far behind. Every section of the society is troubled and sad due to the BJP. The BJP's removal from Uttar Pradesh in 2027 (assembly polls) is now certain," he said.
     The SP president said while the caste census has been announced, only under the "PDA government", it will be carried out correctly.
     "We have to be cautious about BJP's conspiracies of the BJP because it can do any kind of conspiracy. BJP has many resources, new technology. It can shift votes here and there, but now the Samajwadi Party is ready to face the BJP," he said.
     Yadav also alleged that the BJP claims all development work carried out during the SP government.
     "Lok Bhavan was built during the Samajwadi (Party) government, but no statue was installed there. The BJP got a statue installed there. A world-class cancer institute was built, so that cancer could be treated free of cost. Its name was also changed and the statue of a BJP leader was installed.
     "The Ekana cricket stadium was built but its name was also changed (to Bharat Ratna Shri Atal Bihari Vajpayee Cricket Stadium). The magnificent Agra-Lucknow Expressway was built but it was not named anything by the SP government."
     He alleged that the BJP "put its nameplates" and claims others' work as its own.
     When asked to compare the response of the governments in Karnataka and Uttar Pradesh to the stampede in Bengaluru and in Kumbh Mela, Yadav said, "The people of UP will not just suspend them (the BJP government) but bid them farewell forever."
     The celebrations for RCB's first-ever IPL win turned tragic on Wednesday 11 persons died and more than 30 people were injured in a stampede outside the Chinnaswamy Stadium after thousands of fans gathered to catch a glimpse of the team.
     Several senior police officials, including the police commissioner, have been suspended in connection with the stampede. Four officials of RCB and an event management firm were arrested on Friday. The Congress-ruled Karnataka government has also announced a magisterial inquiry into the incident. SP and Congress are allies of the INDIA bloc.
     When asked about newly appointed DGP of UP, Rajeev Krishna, Yadav said, "The person seems to be nice, but how successful will he be in breaking free of the web that has been woven before him?"
     Yadav said if police is used to "suppress political people" then police will not be accountable and become corrupt.
     "Panchayat elections are going to be held. Lets say if you build pressure on the opposition using police, register false cases against them, can you expect the police to work fairly?" the SP chief said. BJP's claim of zero tolerance of crime was hollow, he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)