Restrictions on opposition movement, violative of Constitution: Yechury
Amid the outrage over the killing of farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri, Communist Party of India (Marxist) [CPI(M)] general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Wednesday slammed the Yogi Adityanath government for restricting opposition entry in Uttar Pradesh. He said that the restrictions imposed by the state government violated the Constitution.
“In India, any citizen can travel in any part of the country. Now, how a state government can say that you cannot enter my state? This is an outright violation of our constitution,” the former Rajya Sabha member said.
Yechury said that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government’s rule at the Centre and in UP could be compared to the British rule in India.
“These sort of atrocities and brutalities were seen during the British rule and that is what Modi government and UP government is doing. This incident also reminds us of atrocities committed by Britishers in Champaran. This government has a “habit of torturing’ and this habit is increasing every day,” the CPI(M) leader said.
Yechury has also demanded an investigation in the Lakhimpur Kheri incident where four farmers were mowed under a vehicle. He said that the person responsible should be put behind bars.
“Registration of FIR doesn’t mean that investigation has started. Start the investigation and arrest whoever is responsible,” Yechury said.
The farmers have been demanding action against Ajay Mishra Teni, Minister of State (MoS) for Home Affairs and his son Ashish Mishra Teni. Samyukta Kisan Morcha (SKM) has alleged that Ashish Mishra Teni, son of the Union Minister, ran over the protesting farmers with his jeep.
Congress leaders, including Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, were allowed to visit the Lakhimpur Kheri district on Wednesday. Earlier, the UP Police had arrested Vadra and Deepinder Singh Hooda for trying to meet the kin of those killed in the attack.
At least eight people have died in Lakhimpur, including four farmers and independent journalist Raman Kashyap, who was covering the farmers protest on October 3.