Violent protest rocks UP over abolished dists, CM unfazed

Uttar Pradesh CM Mulayam Singh Yadav is undeterred by the statewide protests and resentment within the government for review of his decision...

Uttar Pradesh CM Mulayam Singh Yadav is undeterred by the statewide protests and resentment within the government for review of his decision to abolish nine districts and four divisions.

‘‘There is no question of going back on the decision as it has been taken in general interest of the people of the state. Creation of these districts was politically motivated but the decision to abolish them is based on facts…these would continue to be a wasteful expenditure if not abolished,’’ said the CM.

Violence was reported in most districts of the state. Curfew was clamped in three talukas in Amroha in Moradabad district after a mob set on fire the jeep of a divisional magistrate and a state-owned bus. Lawyers in Meerut and Farukkhabad boycotted court while markets remained closed in Akbarpur town in Ambedkar Nagar district.

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‘‘I don’t know what to tell people when they ask me why Ambedkar Nagar district has been demolished. I played a key its creation and Kaushambi; both have been abolished,’’ state Sports Minister R.K. Chaudhary said.

The decision to spare a few districts has raised eyebrows. Baghpat, the pocket borough of Ajit Singh, has been left untouched while Kannauj is the constituency of the CM’s son, Akhilesh. Other districts like Balrampur and Mahoba too have been spared for being SP strongholds.

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