Sonia and Rahul to visit Muzaffarnagar

• SC asks UP govt to ensure safe passage to people
• Mulayam is Modi of UP, says Ajit Singh
• Don’t compare riots with Godhra: Mulayam
• City calm, curfew relaxed for 12 hours
• Jamiat demands dismissal of Akhilesh govt

Venkat Parsa

New Delhi: Congress President Sonia Gandhi and AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi are expected to visit the riots-hit Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh next week. The communal clashes in Muzaffarnagar have become important as nearly 44 lives have been lost and Army has been called out for the first time in two decades in Uttar Pradesh. Political opposition is growing against the Samajwadi Party Government in Uttar Pradesh, with BSP supremo and former UP Chief Minister Mayawati demanding imposition of President’s rule in the State. The Muslim groups and clerics have stepped up their offensive and are clamouring for dismissal of the SP Government in UP.

Significantly, the Supreme Court has issued Notices to the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh Governments on petitions seeking CBI inquiry into the communal flare-up in Muzaffarnagar in Uttar Pradesh. The Apex Court directed the Centre and the Uttar Pradesh Government to inform it about the steps taken to assist the people, who are stranded and without food and water. The Apex Court also sought details on opening of proper relief camps and providing psychological help to the victims.

AICC General Secretary incharge of Uttar Pradesh Madhusudhan Mistry said, “Congress President Sonia Gandhi and AICC Vice-President Rahul Gandhi will visit Muzaffarnagar next week to meet the riot-hit people and assess the situation there.” Madhusudhan Mistry said those instigating violence cannot be allowed to go scot free on the ground that they are workers of political parties or are public servants.

He hinted that there are many conditions for the Centre to dismiss a State Government, especially after the Supreme Court verdict in S R Bommai case. As of now, he said the Centre is not going to do so. As of now the UP Government has barred the visit of any political leaders, with RLD leader and Union Civil Aviation Minister Ajit Singh being detained in Ghaziabad on UP border on Thursday, when he was on his way to Baghpat, which is his parliamentary constituency. In Kirthal village in Baghpat, members of two communities clashedon Wednesday, after the police tried to conduct a peace meeting. The mobs also threw stones at cops, injuring a constable.

Ajit Singh lashed out at Mulayam Singh Yadav of spreading communal violence, and called return of Samajwadi Party as unfortunate. “If the Government itself tries to polarize voters, then I can only say that Mulayam Singh is trying to be the Modi of Uttar Pradesh," Ajit Singh said.

Under attack over his government's handling of the riots, SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav rejected any parallel with the post-Godhra 2002 riots in Gujarat and also played down the face-off with sulking party colleague Azam Khan.

Mulayam promised "justice" for the victims of the riots and "strict action" against the guilty, claiming there was "no justice" in Gujarat. With normalcy returning to riot-hit areas of the district, curfew was relaxed for 12 hours. Over 10,000 preventive arrests have been made till Thursday.

Jamiat Ulama-i-Hind has shot off a letter to Prime Minister Manmohan Singh demanding dismissal of Akhilesh Yadav government for its "failure and deliberate carelessness" in quelling the violence in western Uttar Pradesh. UP CM Akhilesh Yadav said he would go to trouble-torn Muzaffarnagar district and meet family members of riot victims.

"I will go there and meet family of victims...There was an attempt to vitiate atmosphere and give it a communal colour," he said. BJP Chief Rajnath Singh sought the Centre's intervention on Muzaffarnagar violence issue and said if Uttar Pradesh government fails to control such incidents, President's rule should be imposed there.

(Additional inputs from PTI)