The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Saturday demanded the resignation of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati on moral grounds in the wake of the death of 10 people who were burnt alive by a mob.
"The gruesome incident reflects the government's failure to maintain law and order. We demand Mayawati should resign at the earliest on moral grounds," BJP state president Surya Pratap Shahi told reporters at a press conference here. "If Mayawati does not step down, we will seek the central government's intervention to dismiss the state government for failing to perform its constitutional duties," he added. Ten people, including five children, were burnt alive on Friday by supporters of a village headman, who was murdered in a long-running feud between two families belonging to rival castes in Maharajganj district.
Shahi also referred to another incident when a man was killed and his house torched March 10 in Fatehpur after a girl eloped with a youth. He alleged that the police conspired with the girl's family, which torched the house of the youth's relatives. "We have sent our teams at Maharajganj and Fatehpur to conduct an enquiry. We demand strict action against the police and the district authorities there," Shahi said.