Lucknow, Aug 23 The political atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh has intensified after Chayal MLA Pooja Pal wrote a letter to Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, alleging that her life is under threat and holding him and his party responsible if she is harmed or killed.
Pal, who was recently expelled from the SP, claimed in her letter that when her husband, Raju Pal, was murdered in broad daylight, instead of standing with her family, the party shielded the accused.
She alleged that she is now receiving fresh threats and fears she could meet the same fate.
"If I am murdered, the real culprit will be Akhilesh Yadav. My husband was killed in broad daylight, and instead of standing with us, the SP shielded the criminals. Today, I am receiving threats, and I fear the same fate," she wrote.
The remarks triggered sharp political reactions, as the Uttar Pradesh government condemned the Samajwadi Party, accusing it of consistently resorting to "anti-women tactics."
Speaking to IANS, Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak slammed the SP for trolling Pal over her statements praising Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's law and order record.
"The way the people affiliated with the Samajwadi Party have trolled MLA Pooja Pal is condemnable. The party should apologise to her. The SP has always resorted to such tactics -- insulting women and backwards sections of society. The public will definitely give a befitting response to the party in the upcoming elections," he said.
Minister Om Prakash Rajbhar also came out in support of Pal, saying her expulsion from SP showed the party's intolerance towards truth.
"She said rightly that the Samajwadi Party does not respect hearing the truth. What wrong did Pooja Pal say in the Legislative Assembly? She only said that the Yogi government ensured justice for her husband's killer. This is why the SP is feeling bad. The Samajwadi Party is anti-women and biased towards the backwards community," he said.
"The entire country's perspective has changed towards SP after Pooja Pal's statement. Pal knows that SP is capable of doing bad things, and that is why she said this," Rajbhar told IANS.
BJP MP Sakshi Maharaj, meanwhile, said Pal's concerns were personal. "What Pooja Pal said is her own matter. When individuals have any kind of concern, they express it in front of the media," he told reporters.
BJP national spokesperson Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi also targeted the SP, accusing it of protecting "miscreants and bahubalis."
"The arrests of the 'bahubalis' in Uttar Pradesh have ensured the safety of the citizens there. Pal has now realised which party always protects these miscreants and 'bahubalis'," Naqvi told IANS.
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