UP minister threatens to 'kill' corrupt officials

 Uttar Pradesh ministers, it seems, simply love to make controversial statements at the cost of embarrassing Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and the ruling Samajwadi Party (SP).

Barely days after UP minister Shivpal Singh Yadav openly advocated graft and a senior minister Azam Khan called cops ‘dalals’ (middlemen), another state minister threatened to ‘kill’ the officials if they indulged in corruption.

“Kisi ne ek rupaye ka bhi bhrashtachar kiya to fansa kar mar daloonga ye mantri pad se istifa de doonga”' (if anyone embezzle even one rupee, I will kill him or resign from the post of minister), UP minister for horticulture Raj Kishore Singh said at Aligarh on Monday.

Shocking remarks

The minister's remark shocked the district officials as well as the SP leaders who were present there.

A few days back minister for urban development Azam Khan’s sudden outburst at a ‘Roza-Iftar’ (when the fasting muslims break their fast during the holy month of Ramzan) took the police officials by surprise and many of them appeared to be upset over the remark.

“You people sell khaki (police uniform) for money...you are dalals”, a furious Khan said from the dais much to the shock and dismay of the officials present there.

Earlier experiences

Khan, who is known for his ‘outspokenness’, had invited flak for his remarks on earlier occasions also.

Khan had earlier defended the recent diktat of a panchayat at Baghpat district that had banned love marriages and asked the women not to use cell phones or go to markets alone.

About a week back, senior minister Shivpal Singh Yadav had openly advocated graft. “Agar mehnat se kaam karoge to thodi bahut chori kar sakte ho lekin dacoity mat dalo”' (if you work hard, you may steal a little but you should not commit robbery), Yadav said taking the officials by surprise. He later denied having made the remark.