Constitution day being celebrated when people died in Sambhal Akhilesh

New Delhi, Nov 26 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said Constitution day celebration at a time when people lost their lives in Sambhal is not right and alleged that leaders of Opposition are not being allowed to visit the violence-hit area in Uttar Pradesh.
    Extending wishes on Constitution day, he said, "The true celebration of the Constitution is when we follow it."
    "We are Samajwadi (socialists), Babasaheb BR Ambedkar's Constitution protects us and gives us our rights. We respect the Constitution but to celebrate at a time when many people have lost their lives in Sambhal is not right," he said.
    The country is celebrating the 75th anniversary of the adoption of the Constitution as Samvidhan Divas. The Constituent Assembly adopted the Constitution at the Central Hall of Parliament on November 26, 1949. It came into force on January 26, 1950.     
    "What has been done by the government in Sambhal, people have lost their lives. Justice is being denied, people are being accused in false cases," Yadav alleged.
    "The government is filing false cases against our MP, MLA and son of the MLA. Government is at fault. When the survey was done once, what was the need for the survey a second time?" he asked.
    Chaos reigned in Sambhal city's Kot Garvi area on Sunday as people opposing a court-ordered survey of the Jama Masjid clashed with police, resulting in the death of four persons.
    The clashes, which involved gunfire and stone-pelting, also left 20 people injured, including Sub-Divisional Magistrate Ramesh Chandra.
    The survey followed a petition in a local court, claiming that the site of the mosque was previously a Harihar temple.
    "They could have held a discussion, we are not against the survey, but there were BJP workers raising slogans while the team was conducting the survey. Was any action taken against them?" Yadav questioned.
    "The government has banned the Internet, imposed curfew so that the Opposition cannot reach there. Our LoPs of both the houses want to go there but the government is not giving us permission," he said.
    SP Lok Sabha member Dimple Yadav alleged that the violence in Sambhal was ignited to avoid discussion on how by-elections were held in the state.
    "The atmosphere witnessed during the Uttar Pradesh elections clearly showed that the administration fully supported BJP. The theft and looting of votes were something the (state) government wanted to suppress. That is why the Sambhal incident was deliberately orchestrated," she said.
    SP MP Iqra Hasan said the party boycotted the Constitution Day celebrations due to the incident in Sambhal.
    "Our party boycotted the celebrations because an incident took place in our state (Uttar Pradesh) which is like a black spot on the Constitution. The people who are in power at the Centre and the state talk about the Constitution on one hand and on the other disrespect it. It is a very sad incident, we are in pain," she said.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)