Lucknow, Sep 12 (IANS) : Aazad Samaj Party-Kanshi Ram President and MP Chandrashekhar Azad on Saturday demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Cabinet Minister and Nishad Party chief Sanjay Nishad, saying he should step down on moral grounds over the alleged murder of a party worker.
Speaking to reporters, Azad demanded that Nishad should resign from a government that, according to him, makes claims about maintaining good law and order but has failed to protect people from weaker sections and provide them justice.
“I would say that Sanjay ji should resign on moral grounds from a government which makes false claims that law and order is very good, but is unable to protect responsible people from weaker sections and provide them justice. I do not think the demands he had made will be fulfilled,” he said.
He further alleged that the government tends to favour accused persons when they belong to the same caste as the Chief Minister, and called for impartial action irrespective of caste or religion.
“Because when the criminal belongs to the same caste as the Chief Minister, then over the past few years, it has been seen that the Chief Minister and the government tend to favour the accused rather than the victims. This is a matter of great concern,” he said.
Azad stressed that the Chief Minister, irrespective of who holds the position, should remain impartial and ensure that legal action is not influenced by caste or religion.
“But the question is, can anyone’s murder be justified on the basis of a Facebook post? If someone has made a Facebook post, action can be taken against it, and an FIR can be registered,” he added.
Meanwhile, Azad’s remarks came after Nishad staged a sit-in protest at the King George’s Medical University mortuary in Lucknow late Thursday evening over the death of party worker Vinod Sahani, who was allegedly attacked with bullets and knives in Gonda.
Opposition leaders from the Samajwadi Party also joined Nishad during the protest. They alleged that even a minister was not being heard by the present government.
Nishad had demanded the immediate arrest of all the accused, action against police personnel allegedly responsible for failing to ensure justice and security, and protection and a government job for the victim’s family.
He also alleged that members of the Nishad community had previously been targeted in the name of criminal cases and encounters. Nishad warned that the party would intensify its agitation if the accused were not arrested.
However, amid speculation over his protest, Nishad on Friday clarified that his sit-in was aimed at raising issues concerning the Nishad community and did not indicate any differences with the BJP-led government.
“This is for the cause of the community. We have been able to get a case of murder filed in this matter because we are in the government… The Opposition is corrupt. Whatever help we can extend to the community is through the government,” he said.
