Cong seeks judicial probe

Rahul Gandhi has claimed that police had committed  atrocities in Bhatta and Parsaul villages of Greater Noida.  The party spokesperson Jayanti Natarajan defended Gandhi and demanded a judicial probe into the incident in which four people including two policemen were reportedly killed.

Replying to a question that   Rahul Gandhi’s claims about large number of people being killed and women raped have been countered by Mayawati government and various media reports,  Jayanti Natarajan said: “Please refer to Rahul Gandhi’s footage and quote him.”

Jayanti Natarajan  further asserted that the whole incident “should be inquire into” and demanded a “judicial probe” into the incident. She asked “why is Mayawati government hesitating to hold an inquiry?”

Notably, Rahul Gandhi while briefing the media, after he “facilitated” the delegation of farmers from the villages to meet Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on Monday,  had said that piles of ashes with bodies burnt inside them had been found and that women had been raped in the two villages. The Gandhi scion’s statement  drew the ire of the U P government.

Asked if the party had any proof to back up the allegations levelled by Rahul Gandhi, Natarajan said it was not a Court to demand evidence. She further said that Congress leader was being quoted out of context by the media.

“This is not a Court, to talk about evidence. It was a delegation,” she said.

Farmers unhappy

Farmers in Bhatta - Parsaul and various other villages have been agitating for a better price for their land being acquired by the Uttar Pradesh government for development projects. The farmers allege that the Mayawati-led state government has been  acquiring their land at a cheaper rate while the same land is being sold to private builders at much higher rates.

However, the Mayawati government has accused rival political parties of trying to flare up and politicise the issue (of land acquisition).  The allegations and counter-allegations in the state are being seen as a preparation for the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh scheduled to be held early next year.