The Samajwadi Party is heading for a showdown in UP, as its youth wings are determined to go ahead with tomorrow’s state-wide agitational programme despite a ban imposed by the Mayawati Government. Sources said the Mayawati Government imposed the ban on SP’s rallies following intelligence reports that law and order problems could occur during such demonstrations. Elaborate security arrangements have been made and barricades raised all over the city and district headquarters to thwart the Samajwadi Party’s plans. Criticising the decision to ban the rallies being organised to protest the alleged misuse of POTA, SP state president Ram Sharan Das said it amounted to a ‘‘breach of democratic rights’’. He asserted that the demonstrations will be held come what may.‘‘In a democracy, everybody has a right to demonstrate against the wrong policies of the government,’’ he said. The UP Government has not only banned the rallies and demonstrations but has also instructed the Divisional Commissioners, District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police to make preventive arrests to thwart the SP youth wings’ plan. Das said hundreds of activists of SP youth wings like the Lohia Vahani, Mulayam Singh Youth Brigade and Yuvjan Sabha have been arrested since last night to prevent the dharnas and demonstrations. Those detained include city party chief Ramswaroop Yadav and Lohia Vahini state president Brahmabaksha Singh Gopal. Party workers have been arrested from Allahabad, Jalaun, Kanpur, Moradabad, Bareilly, Gorakhpur, Meerut, Muzzaffarnagar, Varanasi and Jhansi districts, he said. The State Government has defended the ban, saying no permission was sought by the party to organise the rallies and demonstrations. Das said if the Mayawati Government was under the impression that by imposing Section 144 it can weaken their resolve or terrorise the party workers then she was mistaken. In Lucknow, the demonstrations will be headed by party chief Mulayam Singh’s son Akhilesh Singh. The party chief said thousands of members of the youth wings — Lohia Vahini, Mulayam Youth Brigade, Chhatra Sabha and the Yuvjan Sabha — have already arrived in the city. He appealed to the government not to prevent the party workers from organising the rallies and urged to release the arrested partymen. MEANHILE Speaker mulls strong security LUCKNOW: For the first time in the history of UP Assembly, Speaker Kesari Nath Tripathi is likely to allow policemen in plain clothes for the Budget session starting February 28. After a meeting with top administrative and police officers to discuss security plans, Tripathi said he would seek the approval of Opposition parties on the issue at an all-party meeting on February 24. Another meeting of top officials has been convened on February 25 where the arrangements would be given a final shape, Tripathi said. The entrances to the House will be reduced to four. Everyone entering the House will be frisked. No MLAs will be allowed to take arms, pagers and cellphones inside the House. The ministers’ shadows will be allowed to accompany them to their chambers. Like the Lok Sabha, baggage inspection system and X-ray machines will also be installed at the gates. Police and PAC jawans will be posted inside the complex. Now SP joins cow bandwagon DEHRA DUN: They could easily be mistaken for supporters of either the VHP, Bajrang Dal, Hindu Jagran Manch or Shiv Sena. Even members of these die-hard Hindu outfits could not believe their eyes when hundreds of Samajwadi Party activists raised slogans such as ‘‘Hindu Unity’’, ‘‘Ban Cow Slaughter’’ and ‘‘Deport Bangladeshis from India’’ outside the District Magistrate’s office today. The party workers, led by district chief Sanjay Singh, were protesting the cow slaughter. Sources said the SP leaders here are trying to adopt an aggressive Hindutva agenda to win over the Hindus, who form the majority in Uttaranchal. After a noisy demonstration outside the DM’s office, the SP workers took to the streets shouting anti-cow slaughter slogans. Addressing the workers, Sanjay Singh criticised both the BJP and the Congress for not doing enough to protect cows. He said the SP will soon start a ‘‘Govansh Bachao Yatra’’ (save cow movement) to create awareness among Hindus on the issue. SP general secretary of the Uttaranchal unit, Dr Satya Narayan Saccahan, argued that cow slaughter will adversely affect the state’s economy. (ENS)
