Lucknow: The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Thursday said it sensed a conspiracy behind the "cancellation" of permission for controversial Yogi Adityanath's election meetings while the Congress demanded "disqualification" of the Gorakhpur MP.
The BJP took on the Akhilesh Yadav government in Uttar Pradesh saying that the Samajwadi Party feared defeat in the bypolls, hence the decision to ban Adityanath's meeting.
"Permission for Yogi's meeting was given on September 7 itself. Later application of SP was taken and it was also given permission. Then in name of breach of peace, permission was cancelled," said BJP state president Laxmi Kant Bajpai.
He said for public meetings, the Election Commission's rule is of first-come-first serve, but in this case, it was totally overlooked.
"The conspiracy was hatched by district administration under pressure of the government. The District Magistrate had said that BJP withdrew its application, but the ADM had said that permission was cancelled apprehending breach of peace," he said.
Attacking the ruling party on the issue, Bajpai said, "Sensing its defeat in the by-eletions, Samajwadi Party has lost its balance."
Bajpai claimed that no public meeting was held in Indira Nagar area yesterday.
"There was no stage, banner or seats. We only campaigned in favour of the candidate from permitted vehicle," he said.
Regarding the FIR filed against the BJP MP, Bajpai said the party is not afraid of FIR.
On EC notice, he said reply has been submitted and BJP will honour the decision taken by the commission.
Taking a dig at SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, he said what was the compulsion for him and his son Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav to hold meetings in Mainpuri.
Several ministers of the state government and party leaders are camping in Mainpuri, he said.
On Mainpuri bypolls, Bajpai said after considering the demands of BJP, the EC has decided that four to five personnel of CPMF will be deployed at every booth along with a micro observer and the entire process will be videographed.
Congress demands Adityanath be disqualified from Lok Sabha
Congress demanded "disqualification" of Yogi Adityanath, after he was reprimanded for "provoking feelings of enmity" during a recent speech in Noida.
"Yogi Adityanath is a fit case for disqualification. The way he was violating the law despite an earlier order of the Election Commission, I am of the view that he should be disqualified from his membership of Lok Sabha," AICC secretary Sanjay Nirupam told reporters.
He recalled that in the past late Shiv Sena chief Bal Thackeray was disenfranchised for six years while some MLAs of Shiv Sena were disqualified on similar charges.
Two days ahead of bypolls in UP, the EC also asked the state poll officials to ensure filing of an FIR against him.
The EC's rebuke for the Hindutva hardliner for allegedly invoking "religion" and making "appeal on this ground to secure votes" for his party came a day after he was booked for defying a ban on election meeting in Lucknow.
The poll body in its order also cautioned the BJP leader to be careful in his future public utterances.
With PTI Inputs
