Party MLA says Mulayam lied on Auriyan firing

The going is getting tough for Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav with his own party legislator charging him with misleading the House over ...

The going is getting tough for Chief Minister Mulayam Singh Yadav with his own party legislator charging him with misleading the House over the firing incident at Auriyan district.

Samajwadi Party legislator Kamlesh Pathak, known as a close aide of Mulayam, stunned the House today when he strongly criticised the government for the police firing and lathicharge on demonstrators protesting the decision to disband Auriyan district. The Speaker has asked the government to file an explanation in this regard on February 20.

‘‘Mera haath tuta hain aur Auriyan ki diworn par abhi

bhi police ki goli ke nishan hain (My hand was fractured and the walls at Auriyan bear the marks of police bullets),’’ Pathak said, adding that the CM had claimed two days ago that the police had used only rubber bullets at Auriyan.

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The SP legislator refused to withdraw, even amid hoots from his fellow partymen and repeated instructions from the Speaker, and was backed by the entire Opposition. The BSP legislators even staged a dharna in the Well of the House, raising anti-government slogans.

‘‘This is a serious matter which involves protection of a member of the House. A committee should be formed to probe what actually happened at Auriyan,’’ said Leader of Opposition Lalji Tandon.

‘‘The CM has already let his views on the issue known in the Assembly which means it should not be raised. You (the Speaker) have already given him enough time and now he should be asked to keep quiet,’’ said Parliamentary Affairs Minister Azam Khan. But the uproar was far from over and the House had to be adjourned several times.

‘‘The SP legislator himself has said that the CM has tried to mislead the House on the Auriyan issue and there is no point in disbelieving him as his fractured hand is telling the true story. The CM should tender an apology in the House for misleading the members,’’ said senior BJP leader Om Prakash Singh.

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Sources say the Samajwadi Party is refraining from taking any action against the legislator fearing adverse publicity. ‘‘We are not going to take any action against the legislator as we believe in democracy in which everybody has a right to express himself. But the CM is facing the results of his benevolence as this legislator was given the party ticket from the Derapur Assembly segment despite internal opposition,’’ Khan said.