UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav said on Friday that the previous Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) government had turned the state police force into a party cadre. He said that it was the BSP which was largely responsible for the prevailing law and order situation in the state because they had left the entire police force completely demoralised.
The chief minister who was giving his concluding speech on the budget on home and general administration, repeatedly blamed the previous Mayawati regime for all that was wrong in the state while the BSP members patiently heard out his charge sheet against them.
“For five years, the system was damaged beyond repair. Everyone knows how transfers were affected in the previous regime. We transferred 40,000 cops but no a finger was raised against us. The system has been demolished so badly that it will take some time to set it up again,” he said.
Recalling an incident, the chief minister said that he and other SP leaders had to stage a dharna through the night at Bah police station in Agra to get a FIR registered but the same was still not registered.
“I was arrested thrice in two days. The state police barged into the airport to arrest me. Azam Khan was detained on the road while travelling to Rampur. If the police are working in this manner, we know who is to blame,” he stated.
The chief minister said that there was an urgent need to motivate the police force. “Once a person is recruited as a constable, chances are that he will retire as one because the scope for promotion is very limited. We are trying to see if we can introduce changes in the system and make promotions easier in order to motivate a cop,” he said.