Lucknow: The opposition BSP Monday took pot shots at Akhilesh Yadav following attacks on statues of Dalit icon BR Ambedkar and their leader Mayawati, describing the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister as a `bechara` who is not taken seriously by his government officials.
Bahujan Samaj Party leaders Naseemuddin Siddiqui and Swamy Prasad Maurya alleged that state government officials were taking Akhilesh lightly and were not implementing orders issued by him.
"What can the Chief Minister do when the officials and policemen are not paying any heed to what he is saying," Siddiqui said.
Akhilesh had ordered top administrative and police officials to beef up security around the statues of Dalit icons.
The opposition party also accused the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP) of conniving, inciting and provoking people behind attacks on statues of Ambedkar and former chief minister Mayawati. The party described Akhilesh as the `bechara` (poor) Chief Minister of UP.
Maurya said it was a matter of shame that three statues of Ambedkar were vandalised in Azamgarh.
Siddiqui, meanwhile, said that he was of the view that the Chief Minister had no ill will against the Dalit icons in his heart but he was helpless since his officials were not listening to him.
He also demanded that security be beefed up at important places of Dalit worship, parks and monuments built by Mayawati and also at the ancestral house of the BSP chief at Badalpur in Gautam Budh Nagar district.
IANS
