The Times of India News Service

LUCKNOW: The Samajwadi Party on Thursday alleged that Cabinet minister Radhey Shyam Gupta had been extending political patronage to those involved in the recent killing of Dalits in Fatehpur district. The party demanded that he be dropped from the ministry failing which Chief Minister Rajnath Singh should resign on moral grounds for the dastardly deed. It also demanded that a compensation of Rs 5 lakh be paid to the kin of the victims.

Addressing a joint press conference, secretary general Shivpal Singh Yadav and state president Ram Sharan Das slammed the present dispensation for the total collapse of the law and order situation. Yadav who returned from Fatehpur alleged that Gupta had been sheltering the culprits who had become emboldened and were now committing such deeds with no fear of being caught. He demanded the arrest of Gupta and his resignation from the ministry.

Referring to the Dalit killings in Aligarh, Yadav said such incidents would register a rise as the present government had enough ministers with criminal background. He alleged that state minister Dalbir Singh was extending patronage to the killers in that district. With such people at the helm of affairs the crime rate could not be expected to go down, he said.

The state executive of the party which would be meeting on Thursday would discuss threadbare the prevailing law and order situation in addition to other issues.

The executive would be chaired by party president Mulayam Singh Yadav.