Sant Kabir Nagar (UP) Apr 15: Over 100 Samajwadi Party workers were detained last night when they tried to block the busy Gorakhpur-Lucknow road demanding immediate withdrawal of all criminal cases lodged against party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav by the Mayawati-led government, official sources said today. The SP workers detained at Khalilabad Police Station were released early morning, sources said.

The workers led by MLA Abdul Kalam blocked the road for over an hour and even tried to damage government property, they said. Kalam later, in a statement, said that the action of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister was an act of "political vendetta" and that they would launch a district-wise agitation to expose the "biased" policies of the government.

Mayawati had yesterday announced at her "Pardafaash" rally that 137 cases had been registered against Yadav for "misuse" of the discretionary fund. Bureau Report