Akhilesh apprehends removal of UP police chief

DGP had declared that polling dates were out

Apprehending that the state police chief may be removed after the model code of conduct comes into force, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said that he was eagerly waiting for the Assembly elections.

“The next Assembly polls are nearing...I am eagerly awaiting them...I want the polls to be held as early as possible,”Akhilesh said while speaking at a function on the occasion of the Police Week here on Saturday.

The chief minister said that he expected all the parties to be “fair” in the polls.
“We are fair and so we want fair polls...let us see if others also want the same,” he said.

Akhilesh had earlier said that the BJP did not want early polls as it feared a backlash from the people over the demonetisation decision.

He apprehended that the state police chief Javeed Ahmed might be removed after the polling dates were declared. “The DGP may be removed,” he remarked.

The chief minister’s apprehension may have stemmed from the removal of the then state police chief Bua Singh ahead of the Assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh in 2007.

Bua Singh had opted for voluntary retirement in protest against his unceremonious removal by the Election Commission.

Akhilesh exuded confidence that the Samajwadi Party (SP) would return to power in the state after next year’s elections. “Like others, I too love the chair...who wants to leave the chair?,” he remarked.

He referred to the inconveniences being experienced by the people following demonetisation of Rs. 500 and 1,000 notes and asked the police personnel to have sympathy for the people standing in the queues for hours together to withdraw their hard earned money.

“They are already facing problems...you (police) should be sympathetic to them,” he said apparently reacting to the reports of use of force by the police on the people standing in queues before banks and ATMs.