Echoing Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s controversial comments earlier this month, Power Minister Piyush Goyal told a television channel that the Akhilesh Yadav government had discriminated between members of different communities in allocating power connections.
Claiming that his allegation against the Samajwadi Party government was no empty political charge, but a proven fact, he said an investigation was launched into this after Moradabad MP Kunwar Sarvesh Kumar raised the issue in a meeting with the Prime Minister. The probe’s findings, Goyal said, had proved the charge.
“It was forwarded to the State government and nothing happened. The MP then met the PM. A central team was sent and as per federal laws there were State electricity department officials too who were involved,” Goyal told the news channel. “The Centre proposed that an FIR must be filed against officials behind the deliberate exclusion. But the State government is yet to respond,” the Power Minister added.
Opposition parties have been critical of the Prime Minister’s statement at an election rally in Fatehpur that if there is power supply during Ramzan, it must be there during Diwali too.
“The Prime Minister reverting to his divisive strategy and tactics to win the election in Uttar Pradesh is evidence enough that he has not matched up to the high office that he holds. After having failed the country with his unimaginative economic policies, Modi has played with fire in Uttar Pradesh by resorting to his pet divisive and destructive politics to win election,” Congress spokesperson Manpreet Badal had said.
Muslims candiatesMeanwhile, joining chorus with Home Minister Rajnath Singh, more BJP leaders have expressed their “concern” over tickets not being given to Muslims to contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Of the BJP’s 403 candidates, not a single person is Muslim.
On Monday, Minority Affairs Minister Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi endorsed the views of his party’s senior leaders. “As far as tickets are concerned, it would have been better if tickets were given to Muslims. We will address their concern by compensating them if we form government in the state,” Naqvi said. “The BJP believes in taking along all the sections of the society. We formed government at the Centre with cooperation of all. Similarly, we will form government in the state...,” he added.
Singh had told a TV channel on Thursday that the BJP should have given tickets to Muslims. Water Resources Minister Uma Bharti supported his views on Sunday. “Yes, I think that Rajnath ji has rightly said, we should have given tickets (to Muslims),” she said and added: “I am really feeling sorry as we couldn’t do that(tickets for Muslims). I will talk to Amit Shahji and Maurya sahib (UP BJP chief) so that we can bring a Muslim candidate in Vidhan Parishad, she said, adding, “Rajnath ji has accepted this and I too accept it.”