Lucknow, July 19: Opposition parties in Uttar Pradesh including Congress and Samajwadi Party today termed as "politically motivated" the state government's decision to declare 15 districts as drought affected and called on it to avoid "discrimination" in dealing with natural calamities. "Yesterday's announcement of including only 15 districts was politically motivated as most of these areas fall in the constituencies of senior state ministers, Congress spokesman Akhilesh Singh alleged adding the entire state was reeling under severe drought like situation.

Terming the move to declare as "inadequate", the parties said there should be no discrimination while dealing with a natural calamity.

Samajwadi Party state president Ram Saran Das said Etawah, Auraiya and Unnao besides other districts were also facing a grim situation adding the entire state should be declared drought-hit and realisation of revenue, irrigation and bank loans stopped forthwith. State BJP president, Vinay Katiyar while hailing the state government's move to declare 15 districts as drought hit had yesterday stated in a statement that several other districts needed to be declared as drought-hit.
Bureau Report