Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) workers on Thursday afternoon called off their agitation in Lucknow against former Uttar Pradesh BJP Vice President Dayashankar Singh for his abusive remarks against BSP chief Mayawati after police assured Mr. Singh’s arrest within the next 36 hours.
Lucknow’s District Magistrate Raj Shekhar met the agitated party workers and leaders and told them the police was looking for Mr. Singh after an FIR was lodged against him late on Wednesday night at the Hazratganj police station.
After a categorical and time-bound assurance by authorities, BSP leader Naseemuddin Siddiqui announced the agitation was being called off.
A police team was sent to Mr. Singh’s house in Ballia on Wednesday night, but he was not found, Deputy Superintendent of Police K.C. Tyagi said.
Sources say Mr. Singh is holed up at some place in eastern Uttar Pradesh.
“To the backward classes, I am like a Devi (Goddess). They are angry,” said Ms Mayawati in Delhi, thanking the people for what she described as spontaneous protests against Dayashankar Singh.
“If the BJP had filed an FIR against Dayashankar they may have been able to win me over, but removing him from the party is just a formality,” said the BSP chief who had vowed on Wednesday that the “country will not forgive the BJP.”
The BSP chief on her part thanked Jaitley and other leaders in the Rajya Sabha for supporting her on this matter.”There are war of thoughts and ideas in the House, but never have I used derogatory words against anyone ever,” Mayawati said.
Earlier, hundreds of BSP workers staged a protest before the Ambedkar statue in Hazratganj area in Lucknow, demanding the arrest of Mr. Singh.
BSP workers from the districts were asked to reach the State capital to lodge a strong protest against the remarks made by Mr. Singh, the party said. Hundreds of party workers started arriving from districts.
Raising slogans and burning effigies, the BSP workers converged near the Ambedkar statue in Hazratganj on the call of the party to stage a dharna against Mr. Singh, who has since been expelled by the BJP.
Traffic was thrown out of gear in the city as BSP workers, raising slogans and carrying placards, thronged the area.
In the dharna, a BSP worker was slightly injured while trying to set an effigy ablaze. The shirt of the injured worker caught fire. But, he, along with others, promptly pulled it out and escaped with minor burns.
Mr. Singh had sparked an outrage by his derogatory comments against the BSP chief. Mr. Singh targeted Ms. Mayawati on Tuesday, saying “if someone gives her Rs. 1 crore, she will give him the ticket, but after an hour, if another person offers her Rs. 2 crore, she will give it to him. Later in the evening, if someone else approaches her with Rs. 3 crore, she will give the ticket to him.”
