Uma supporter arrested, MP govt courts trouble

A day before Uma Bharati’s ‘Bharat Bachao Yatra’ enters her home state, the BJP government scored a self-goal by arresting her ardent supporter...

A day before Uma Bharati’s ‘Bharat Bachao Yatra’ enters her home state, the BJP government scored a self-goal by arresting her ardent supporter in an early morning operation on Saturday from his home near Gwalior leading to violence.

Bharati exploited the arrest of Preetam Lodhi, in-charge of the membership drive of Bharatiya Janshakti Party in Gwalior and Chambal, and the subsequent climbdown by the police who released him in view of ‘‘worsening law and order’’ only added to the government’s embarrassment.

‘‘If need be I may go to Gwalior and stage a dharna. Spineless, cowardly and useless people are running the government,’’ Bharati thundered from Nagpur and even boasted that ‘‘the government’s countdown has begun, it has prepared itself to commit suicide.’’

Bharati’s party has launched a membership drive across the state, trying to woo BJP supporters in her fold. Lodhi’s arrest gave her ammunition to fire at the state government, which she still calls ‘‘her own’’. The Gwalior police released Lodhi, a history-sheeter having as many as 28 cases registered against him in Gwalior, Shivpuri and Bhind districts, after keeping him in detention for nearly 10 hours. Lodhi was put in charge of the membership drive that began three days ago.

A large contingent of policemen descended on his house in Jalalpura, about 4 km from Gwalior, early in the morning without an arrest warrant and without any fresh charge and took him into custody. For hours, the police could not explain what led to Lodhi’s sudden arrest and the charges against him.

His supporters who started to gather outside the police station resorted to stone-pelting. The police fired in the air and lobbed tear-gas shells to scare away the mob that refused to budge till Lodhi was released. Several people, including Lodhi’s supporters, police personnel and a local scribe, were injured.

The last case against Lodhi was registered in December, 2005. Circle Police Inspector Prakash Singh said several criminal cases, including extortion and attempts to murder, had been registered against Lodhi over the last two decades.

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Singh alleged that Lodhi and his gun-wielding supporters had threatened mine-owners three days ago. He admitted there was no FIR, but said the arrest was preventive in nature. The police released Lodhi to prevent law and order situation from worsening, he claimed.

Bharati’s confidante and former Union Coal Minister Prahlad Patel said ‘‘it’s a conspiracy hatched by the ruling party to prevent BJP supporters from leaving.’’ According to him more supporters had been arrested in the last few days.

Bharati said ‘‘political vendetta’’ was the only reason behind Lodhi’s arrest and said she would submit a list of history-sheeters from both the BJP and the Congress to the police and dared them to arrest them.