Amar Singh does a U-turn, supports ban on SIMI

“During my meeting with the Prime Minister, I discussed the communal incidents in Orissa and Karnataka and demanded a ban on Bajrang Dal and similar such outfits which create communal divide,” Amar Singh said later.

He said he requested the Prime Minister to take strict action to curb fundamentalism of all types.

To a poser on SIMI, he said SP has never supported it. He claimed that the then SP government in UP had found nothing against SIMI.

“Agar ab SIMI ke viruddh kuch mil raha hai to zaroor karyavahi kijiye,” (if evidences have been found against SIMI now, action should be taken against it),” he said.

This comment marks a turnaround in SP’s position as its chief Mulayam Singh Yadav had in August opposed a ban on SIMI, saying it was ‘not involved in any unlawful incident’ in Uttar Pradesh.

“There is no need to impose a ban on SIMI. This should not have been done even earlier,” Yadav had said when a Special Tribunal lifted a ban imposed on SIMI.

Supreme Court had later stayed the Tribunal’s order.

Asked about the Prime Minister’s reaction to his demand for ban on Bajrang Dal, Amar Singh said, “there is no confusion on Bajrang Dal. Why only Bajrang Dal, any kind of fundamentalism should be dealt with strictly.”