Lucknow, Aug 14 Samajwadi Party MLA Pooja Pal on Thursday lauded Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his "zero-tolerance policy" against mafias, crediting him for "providing justice" in the murder of her husband, former BSP MLA Raju Pal, who was killed by gangster-turned-politician Atiq Ahmed.
Speaking during the 24-hour marathon discussion on the 'Vision Document 2047' in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Pooja Pal expressed her gratitude to the Chief Minister for addressing a pain that, she said, "no one bothered to see for years."
"I wish to draw your attention to my situation. I have lost my husband, who was a Member of this House. This fact is no secret; everyone in this House knows how he was murdered and by whom. I want to express my gratitude to the Chief Minister, who saw my pain that no one bothered to see for years. The Chief Minister saw my grief and suffering and, in the truest sense, worked to ensure that I received justice," she said.
Pal said that countless families in Prayagraj had suffered like hers and had received justice because of the Chief Minister's tough stance on crime.
"Who knows how many women, like me, had their 'sindoor' wiped away and how many mothers lost their sons. I would like to thank the Chief Minister who brought crime and gangsters like Atiq Ahmed to justice through his zero-tolerance policy," she added.
She said that Atiq Ahmed, her husband's killer, had been "brought to the ground" by the Yogi government's zero tolerance against crime.
"Today, not only Prayagraj, but the entire Uttar Pradesh looks at the Chief Minister with hope. People know that if any criminal or gangster harms any mother, sister, or brother, they will have to face stringent action," she said.
Recounting her ordeal, Pal said she entered the Assembly with people's trust and had always stood by them. She recalled that she was married for only nine days when her husband was murdered in January 2005.
"My husband became a victim of Atiq Ahmed, and his body was not even returned," she said, adding that when she grew tired of fighting, CM Yogi Adityanath stepped in to ensure justice.
Raju Pal, then a BSP MLA, was shot dead just days after defeating Ashraf Ahmed, Atiq's brother, in a by-election in the Allahabad West constituency.
Atiq and Ashraf were later convicted in another case, and on April 15, 2023, when the two were being escorted by the police for a medical examination at Colvin Hospital in Prayagraj, three assailants posing as journalists shot them dead at point-blank range while they were speaking to the media.
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