TNN
Lucknow, Mar 30: Even as BJP described invoking of NSA against Varun Gandhi as 'worst kind of vendetta politics at work,' its Yuva Morcha announced to observe `black day' on Monday all over the state.
BJP leaders said that NSA against its candidate from Pilibhit Varun has refreshed memories of emergency. They also said that while convicts like Sanjay Dutt had been left free and many other criminal elements were in the fray, Maya government wanted to stop Varun from contesting elections.
BJP Yuva Morcha state president Daya Shankar Singh told TOI that Yuva Morcha activists would take to streets in all the districts of the state on Monday and burn effigies of chief minister Mayawati. He said that while the BSP government itself had given tickets to mafia elements like Mukhtar Ansari and DP Yadav for the LS elections, it had fabricated cases against Varun out of political vendetta and to derive political mileage. He also described the act as an attempt to appease Muslims.
Earlier in the day, the state government had slapped Varun with various sections of the Indian Penal Code, including Sec 307 for attempt to murder.
Talking to TOI, additional director general of police (law and order) Brij Lal said Varun had been booked for rioting, destruction of public property, and preventing public servants from discharging their duty.
‘‘Section 307 pertains to the violence triggered by the leader which led to grievous injuries to cops on duty,’’ Lal said.
This apart, three more FIRs were lodged against BJP supporters and leaders by jail authorities and SI Dhirendra Singh.
One of them implicates the state BJP campaign in-charge Kalraj Mishra and former MP BK Gupta as well for violation of Section 144, causing a riot and damage to public property and forcing their way into the courtroom while CJM, Pilibhit, Bipin Kumar, was taking up Varun’s surrender application.
Mishra, incidentally, had specially gone to Pilibhit to show party’s solidarity with “one of the most competent and talented leaders” — as he referred to Varun later in the day at a press conference.
Meanwhile, sensing trouble for their leader, Varun’s loyal cadre is already planning a combat strategy for Monday when he is taken to the court for the hearing.
“If he gets the bail, it could be a brief affair, we won’t like to add to the controversy, but if the government flexes its muscle then there could be fresh clashes as tempers are already running high,” said a senior party functionary.
Maneka Gandhi, who visited her son in prison, imputed a political conspiracy to frame her son and other BJP leaders in Saturday’s episode. Varun is not a criminal and it is unjust to implicate him in criminal cases, Maneka declared in Pilibhit.