Arrest of BJP MLAs, a cover up for Uttar Pradesh govt's wrongdoings: Rajnath Singh

Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President Rajnath Singh criticized the Akhilesh Yadav-led Uttar Pradesh Government after he was made to cancel his visit to Muzaffarnagar on Saturday.

Asserting that the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) has a history of starting and backing communal riots, he claimed that the state government is trying to cover up its wrongdoings by arresting BJP MLAs.

“My motive of going there was to appeal for peace, and also to assess the situation. The state government and the administration did not allow me to go to Muzaffarnagar. The district magistrate wrote to me asking me not to come to Muzaffarnagar. The BJP doesn’t have a history of communal riots, but the Samajwadi Party (SP) does,” he told media here today.

He further said that a party delegation, including Uttar Pradesh BJP members, would be meeting President Pranab Mukherjee on September 24 to apprise him of their stand on the Muzaffarnagar situation.

"The SP Government by arresting BJP MLAs is trying to cover up its own wrongdoings. We have decided that we will meet the President on September 24, in which our UP BJP members would also accompany us, to apprise him of the situation in Muzaffarnagar,” he added.

Singh also demanded President’s Rule in Uttar Pradesh, and alleged that political outfits like the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) of trying to take advantage of communal tension to attempt to win next year's general election.

“I have always demanded President's Rule in UP looking at the repeated communal incidents, and the SP and the BSP are trying to take advantage of such communal tensions to win the Lok Sabha elections. There is no reason why such governments should rule the state,” he said.

Earlier in the day, Rajnath Singh called off his Muzaffarnagar visit, where more than 40 people died due to communal clashes.

According to reports, in a fax letter sent to the BJP president's office, the district magistrate urged him not to visit the area as it could disturb both calm and peace.

Violence broke out in the Kawal area of Muzaffarnagar on August 27, when members of a community returning from a panchayat meeting in Naglabadhod, three kilometres from Kawal, clashed with members of another community.