In a move that could take the battle between the Samajwadi Party and the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party to another level, the Mayawati government arrested Independent MLA, Raghuraj Pratap Singh alias Raja Bhaiyya, along with a number of Samajwadi leaders, early on Sunday morning.
The arrested persons include Samajwadi MLC Akshay Pratap Singh, Samajwadi MP Shailendra Kumar and Samajwadi MLA Vinod Kumar. Five other supporters of Raja Bhaiyya were also arrested.
Cases for attempt to murder and kidnapping have been set up against the arrested leaders.
This, incidentally, is the second time that UP chief minister Mayawati has got Raja Bhaiyya arrested. In November 2002, Raja Bhaiyya had been arrested by the then Mayawati government for allegedly plotting to topple her government. The state government later invoked Pota against Raja Bhaiyya and his father Raja Uday Pratap Singh and the two had to spend several months in jail before they were finally released by the subsequent Mulayam Singh government. According to police reports, Raja Bhaiyya and other SP leaders reportedly intercepted Mukesh Shukla, a BSP supported candidate for the block pramukh elections, scheduled to be held on December 22. Supporters of Raja Bhaiyya reportedly fired 10 rounds in the air to scare the BSP-supported candidate who later informed the police and lodged a complaint against Raja Bhaiyya. The police reached the spot and arrested Raja Bhaiyya and other leaders around 3 am on Sunday.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party, on Sunday, termed the incident as a classic example of state-sponsored terrorism. Talking to reporters, Leader of Opposition, Shivpal Singh Yadav said that the Mayawati government had set up a false criminal case against Raja Bhaiyya and other SP leaders. “The state government has demolished all democratic norms and traditions to win the on-going panchayat elections. We have already voiced our apprehensions before the governor and this incident proves that our fears are coming true, Mr Yadav said.