In the latest, Principal Secretary for Home Anil Gupta ruled out on Friday that children in relief camps died of cold. "No one can die of cold. If people die of cold then nobody will survive in Siberia," he is reported to have said. Gupta argued that the children died of pneumonia, premature deaths and not of cold.
Gupta's highly insensitive comment comes hours after a fact-finding committee of the state government, led by the SP chief's son Akhilesh Yadav, admitted that at least 34 children below the age of 15 died in the aftermath of the clashes.
The panel also contradicted the SP supremo's comment that no victims were left in the relief camps, saying that over 2,500 riot-affected people are still languishing in relief camps.
In another insensitive move, the state government kick-started the fortnight-long Saifai Mahotsav in the father-son duo's native village in Etawah district on Thursday with much fanfare. An official was also suspended on the same day for causing unnecessary delay in the release of funds for construction of a swimming pool in Saifai. The festival which concludes on January 8 will include many sports and entertainment activities, including a comedy night anchored by Raju Srivastava on the New Year eve.
The clashes between the minority community and Jats which began in Muzaffarnagar district on August 27 claimed 43 lives and left around 100 injured while more than 50,000 displaced. The state government as well as humanitarian organisations set up relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, which housed around 9,000 families. There have been disturbing reports of the displaced facing shortage of food and clothes and braving intense cold wave without adequate woollens.
In the past few weeks, there have been frequent reports of children in relief camps dying due to intense cold, a fact admitted even the state government-appointed fact-finding commission. On Thursday, even the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) issued notices to the Uttar Pradesh chief secretary and district magistrates of Muzaffarnagar and Shamli on reports of children's death due to cold in relief camps.
However, instead of addressing the issue, there has been insensitive politicisation from all the major political parties.
The SP chief's 'no victim in relief camps' comment came in the wake of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's visit to the relief camps on Sunday. After visiting relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, Gandhi had said, "The condition is bad in these relief camps. Children are dying. There is a young Chief Minister here in the state. I urge him to focus on this area. He should improve the conditions in these camps and also mediate between the two communities to ensure normalcy returns to the area."
Replying to Gandhi's suggestions, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said that any suggestions on rehabilitating the displaced was welcome but people should not politicise them. "We are ready to work on suggestions if they want to give one. If they want to play politics, it is up to them," he said.
Gandhi has his own burden of sins to atone for. Speaking at a public rally in Indore on October 24, the Congress scion had blamed the BJP for the riots in Muzaffarnagar and claimed that intelligence inputs had revealed that some ISI agents were in touch with riot victims, trying to recruit disgruntled riot-affected youngsters to carry out its nefarious designs.
While the Opposition went for his jugular, asking him to apologise, and the minority leaders criticised him unequivocally, Congress spokesperson and Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari defended Gandhi, saying that what he said was correct. The Election Commission expressed its displeasure over Gandhi's use of words and warned him against repeating the offence.
While BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi who proudly claims that Gujarat did not witness any riots in the past 10 years of his rule, carefully leaving behind the infamous 2002 Gujarat riots; two men accused of inciting the riots in Muzaffarnagar, BJP legislators Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, were felicitated as guests of honour at Narendra Modi's rally in Agra on November 21.
However, instead of addressing the issue, there has been insensitive politicisation from all the major political parties.
The SP chief's 'no victim in relief camps' comment came in the wake of Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's visit to the relief camps on Sunday. After visiting relief camps in Muzaffarnagar and Shamli, Gandhi had said, "The condition is bad in these relief camps. Children are dying. There is a young Chief Minister here in the state. I urge him to focus on this area. He should improve the conditions in these camps and also mediate between the two communities to ensure normalcy returns to the area."
Replying to Gandhi's suggestions, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said that any suggestions on rehabilitating the displaced was welcome but people should not politicise them. "We are ready to work on suggestions if they want to give one. If they want to play politics, it is up to them," he said.
Gandhi has his own burden of sins to atone for. Speaking at a public rally in Indore on October 24, the Congress scion had blamed the BJP for the riots in Muzaffarnagar and claimed that intelligence inputs had revealed that some ISI agents were in touch with riot victims, trying to recruit disgruntled riot-affected youngsters to carry out its nefarious designs.
While the Opposition went for his jugular, asking him to apologise, and the minority leaders criticised him unequivocally, Congress spokesperson and Information and Broadcasting Minister Manish Tiwari defended Gandhi, saying that what he said was correct. The Election Commission expressed its displeasure over Gandhi's use of words and warned him against repeating the offence.
While BJP prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi who proudly claims that Gujarat did not witness any riots in the past 10 years of his rule, carefully leaving behind the infamous 2002 Gujarat riots; two men accused of inciting the riots in Muzaffarnagar, BJP legislators Sangeet Som and Suresh Rana, were felicitated as guests of honour at Narendra Modi's rally in Agra on November 21.
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