LUCKNOW: Accusing the police and jail administration of acting as Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) workers, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said that the SP workers and leaders will soon start a "jail bharo" movement to protest against police excesses and failures of the state government.
"I had come here with the party workers to show them the gates that we have to eventually enter in the days to come," Akhilesh said talking to the media outside the Lucknow district jail where he had come to meet party worker Manish Jagan Agarwal who was arrested earlier in the day and remanded to judicial custody. The ex-CM was, however, not allowed to meet him.
Manish was arrested in connection with an FIR lodged against him for his alleged involvement with some highly objectionable posts on social media.
Asked about the allegedly objectionable tweets by one of the SP’s social media handles against women, Akhilesh said that the ruling BJP should first explain the tweets of one of their youth wing leaders against women. "They will talk about my family and daughter. She (Richa Rajput) is saying all this because she has the backing of the BJP. Is she not saying it on the directions from the CM? He is quiet," Akhilesh said, adding that whenever the BJP finds itself cornered on such issues, the party "takes a back seat and sends police forward to silence the opposition".
The former UP CM maintained that when he reached the police headquarters earlier in the day, there were no officers present. Akhilesh said he was denied a meeting with Manish inside the Lucknow jail and maintained that the jail administration and the police were "functioning as BJP workers".
Jailor of Lucknow district prison, Rajendra Singh, told TOI that the SP chief was not allowed to meet the inmate because as per the amended jail manual, there were restrictions on inmates meeting visitors on a Sunday. He said Manish has been lodged in the quarantine barrack for the time being.
