Phulan Devi statues were VIP president Mukesh Sahani’s attempt to gain political ground in Uttar Pradesh prior to the crucial Assembly Election.
KEY HIGHLIGHTS
- Mukesh Sahani flew to Varanasi on Sunday to install statues of Phoolan Devi in 18 districts of UP
- Varanasi’s district administration had stopped Sahani at the airport
- The VIP president criticised Yogi Adityanath for denying him access to Varanasi
Patna: Bihar’s Animal Husbandry and Fisheries Minister Mukesh Sahani now has the backing of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) leaders in the state as he faces a tough challenge from his own allies.
This may be noted that Sahani’s four Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) MLAs play a significant role in providing the ruling National Democratic Alliance (NDA) government in Bihar with the majority.
AIMIM leader in Bihar Akhtarul Iman endorsed Sahani and criticised the Yogi Adityanath government for denying permission to the Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) chief to leave the Varanasi airport.
“Sahani is a minister of Bihar government and the way Yogi Adityanath government had treated him is not acceptable. Chief Minister Nitish Kumar and speaker Vijay Sinha should take cognisance of that incident,” said Imam on Wednesday.
In addition to Imam, four other AIMIM MLAs called for a discussion after lunch on the floor of the House and requested that the Speaker proceed to pass a censure motion.
“The way Yogi Adityanath government treated a minister of the Bihar government is extremely unfortunate,” said Imam in the Vidhan Sabha.
AIMIM’s request for a censure motion was, however, rejected by Speaker Vijay Sinha. As a result, the AIMIM leaders raised slogans inside the House for a while, causing a disruption in proceedings for a short time.
For the uninitiated, Sahani flew to Varanasi on Sunday to install statues of ‘Bandit Queen’ Phoolan Devi in 18 districts of Uttar Pradesh on her death anniversary in a bit to woo Dalit and backward class voters. Notably, former Samajwadi Party MP Phoolan Devi belonged to the Nishad community.
Varanasi’s district administration, however, stopped Sahani at the airport.
After this, Sahani told the media in Varanasi that the BJP’s slogan of ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas aur Sabka Vishwas’ has come under scrutiny.
“We are strugglers by nature and our fight will go long. Hence, I am not afraid of such an action. Our coalition government is running firmly in Bihar and we will do the same in Uttar Pradesh too. It is not possible for anyone to suppress me or my party,” he had said.
On Monday, Sahani boycotted the alliance’s legislature party meeting called by Chief Minister Nitish Kumar in Patna.
The Vikassheel Insan Party president on Tuesday criticised Yogi Adityanath for denying him access to Varanasi.
“Our party members can also provide the same treatment to leaders of Uttar Pradesh who are coming here for political campaigns in Bihar. But we will not do it as it would give the wrong impression of our Nitish Kumar government,” said Sahani.
“What kind of government Yogi Adityanath is running in Uttar Pradesh? He is scared of one person. He is worried that one person could disturb the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh,” he added.
Following an impressive performance in the Bihar Assembly Election 2020, the AIMIM is also seeking political ground in Uttar Pradesh ahead of 2022 polls.
