Lucknow: Bahujan Samaj Celebration (BSP) chief Mayawati Monday stated the occasion is not going to give a ticket for the upcoming Prayagraj municipal polls to its member Shaista Parveen, the spouse of former MP Atiq Ahmed, an alleged gangster who’s the prime accused within the February homicide of Umesh Pal.
Umesh Pal, a BJP chief, was a witness within the 2005 homicide of a BSP MLA, however later turned hostile and was faraway from the listing of witnesses by the CBI, which was handed over the investigation. Shaista is among the many accused within the Umesh Pal homicide and is presently believed to be on the run.
Whereas she had not been formally declared a mayoral candidate, Shaista had begun canvassing for the polls quickly after becoming a member of the BSP. She had claimed whereas becoming a member of the BSP in January that Mayawati had requested her to contest the mayor election.
Mayawati’s announcement comes after movies purportedly displaying Shaista with two of the suspected shooters within the Umesh Pal case went viral. These movies are believed thus far again earlier than the homicide.
Addressing a press convention, Mayawati stated due to Shaista’s title coming to the fore in reference to the case, and her being on the run, the state of affairs had modified and the BSP had determined that it’ll not give a ticket to both her or any of Atiq Ahmed’s relations.
“On the idea of no matter information have emerged within the media within the aftermath of the incident over the previous few days, the state of affairs has modified. On this state of affairs, our occasion is not going to give a ticket to Atiq’s spouse or any member of her household for mayor,” she stated.
Answering a query about Shaista’s BSP membership, she added that “the occasion will rapidly take a choice relying on what information come to gentle as quickly as she is arrested”.
“Our occasion shouldn’t be above the legislation and provides full respect to the legislation,” she stated.
Shaista has alleged that her household is being falsely implicated within the case, additionally alleging in a letter to Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath final month that this was a conspiracy to sabotage her run for mayor.
An MP-MLA courtroom had Thursday denied anticipatory bail to Shaista.
Additionally Learn: 2 encounters & allegations of a ‘political conspiracy’: Umesh Pal homicide takes new murky turns
Police hunt for Shaista
The police booked Shaista after Umesh’s spouse Jaya Pal lodged a criticism in opposition to her and her husband, their sons, in addition to Atiq’s brother Ashraf, amongst others, for his homicide.
The UP Police had initially declared a reward of Rs 25,000 in opposition to Shaista, which was elevated to Rs 50,000 final week, after Prayagraj Police stated they’d recognized her as a conspirator within the case.
In current days, a few movies purportedly displaying Shaista with two males recognized by Prayagraj police as shooters within the Umesh Pal case have gone viral.
In one of many movies, she is purportedly seen with accused Sabir, whereas in one other, she is alleged to be with Armaan. Each the suspected shooters, additionally believed to be on the run, carry a reward of Rs 5 lakh on their heads.
The primary video — the place Shaista is allegedly seen transferring with a gaggle of women and men within the Chakiya space — is derived from CCTV footage and dates to 19 February 2023, 4 days earlier than the homicide.
Within the different video — police confirmed that this dates again earlier than the homicide too — Shaista is purportedly seen throughout a door-to-door marketing campaign in Prayagraj.
Talking to ThePrint, Dhoomanganj Station Home Officer (SHO) Rajesh Maurya stated that the second video pertains to one in all Shaista’s campaigns after she joined the BSP.
In her letter to Adityanath, Shaista, who was as soon as related to the AIMIM, famous that her husband Atiq was lodged in Sabarmati jail on the time of the crime, whereas Ashraf was in Bareilly jail. She additionally sought to level out that her two eldest sons, who have been additionally lodged in jail, have additionally been booked.
“My son has been termed a shooter on the idea of footage that’s completely baseless,” she added, alleging that the case was a “political conspiracy” hatched by the incumbent mayor’s husband, a minister within the Adityanath authorities.
She additionally alleged that the Prayagraj police had been working beneath stress from the minister.
The minister, Nand Gopal Gupta ‘Nandi’, has dismissed the allegations.
Quickly afterwards, Mayawati tweeted that Shaista would positively be expelled from the occasion as quickly as she is confirmed responsible.
‘Sole benefactor of backwards, Dalits, minorities’
The BSP chief additionally used the press convention to challenge the BSP as the only benefactor of the backwards, Dalits and minorities, and requested the backwards and minorities to play a task within the upcoming elections as their votes shaped a serious voteshare.
“You will need to word that SC/ST/OBC and girls will not be proud of the reservation given to those teams. Plenty of guidelines have been flouted within the reservation course of, which displays the ruling BJP’s motive to fulfil its self-interest at each degree in order that it could actually reap the advantages within the upcoming Lok Sabha polls,” she added.
“However the plight of the labourer class shouldn’t be hidden from anybody, which is a results of cash deduction from the welfare schemes for Dalits and dailywagers and delayed cost to such teams.”
“In such a state of affairs, it is very important select conscious, succesful and sincere representatives,” she added.
(Edited by Sunanda Ranjan)
Additionally Learn: Why police assume Atiq Ahmed went after Umesh Pal — ‘backstabbing’, property rivalry, courtroom instances