‘UP govt protecting criminals, CM should take moral responsibility and resign’

My 56-inch chest is real, not fake. The fatal attack on me is a failure of the government because the security of the people of the state is the responsibility of the government, said Chandra Shekhar Aazad

Lucknow: A day after he was attacked, Bhim Army chief Chandra Shekhar Aazad on Thursday demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, claiming his government was providing protection to criminals on the basis of caste and religion.

In a note posted on Twitter, Aazad alleged the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is worsening and “government-backed” criminals are in high spirits.

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A bullet grazed the 36-year-old Bhim Army chief’s abdomen when unidentified assailants opened fire at his car in Saharanpur’s Deoband, where he had gone to attend a ritual at a supporter’s home, on Wednesday evening.

He is undergoing treatment at the Saharanpur district hospital.

Aazad, who is also the president of the Azad Samaj Party, said the attack on him was a failure of the government.

“My 56-inch chest is real, not fake. The fatal attack on me is a failure of the government because the security of the people of the state is the responsibility of the government and I am also a responsible citizen of the state,” he said in his note.

The chief minister should take moral responsibility for protecting criminals and resign immediately, he said.

Aazad said what happened with him could happen to the chief of any other political party or their supporters.

“There are two reasons for this. Firstly, the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh is getting worse and secondly, the government is providing protection to criminals on the basis of caste and religion. Due to this, the government-backed criminals are in high spirits. Today, they neither fear the law nor the police,” he charged.

He said when such criminals can target politicians like him, one cannot imagine the atrocities being committed against women, Dalits, backward classes, tribals and minorities in the state.

Some people are so drunk on power that they are bent on silencing the voices being raised against them, Aazad said, without naming anyone.

“Earlier, these people used to misuse ED, CBI and Income Tax officials for this, then they started getting fake police encounters done and now government-backed criminals have started using guns and bullets to eliminate opposition leaders,” he said.

“They are forgetting that the history of India is full of our forefathers’ sacrifices. They are forgetting that even today our bahujan samaj is protecting the country by giving their lives on the borders without any fear. I am also a part of the same society. That’s why you can neither make Chandrashekhar bow down nor scare or shake him with bullets and guns,” he said.

Following the attack on Wednesday, Aazad was taken to a community health centre and later shifted to the Saharanpur district hospital.

In a video message on Wednesday night, Aazad, who hails from Ghadkhauli village in Saharanpur, appealed to his supporters to remain calm and said he would keep fighting constitutionally.