Prakash Pal Slams Akhilesh Yadav Over Law and Order Remarks

Lucknow, October 31: Rajya Sabha MP Prakash Pal has criticised Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav for suggesting that Union Home Minister Amit Shah should review the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh. Pal said the review had already taken place in 2014 and that the state has seen major changes since.

Pal said Amit Shah visited Uttar Pradesh in 2014 and personally toured villages and streets to assess the law and order and political climate. He described the period as one marked by anarchy and criminal influence. He said young people's job opportunities were affected by irregularities, families struggled to let their daughters step out, and mafias had a presence across the state.

According to Pal, the election agenda prepared by Amit Shah at the time had a clear impact on the 2014 Lok Sabha elections, where the BJP won 73 of the state's 80 seats. He said the party later formed a majority government in 2017 under Shah's leadership. Pal claimed that the rule of law has now replaced mafia raj and credited Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath with cracking down on mafias.

On the controversial remark by former Samajwadi Party MP ST Hasan about the Ram Janmabhoomi, Pal said people should understand facts and traditions before commenting on Sanatan Dharma beliefs. He asked Akhilesh Yadav to clarify where the birthplaces of Ram and Krishna are, adding that Indians across the country are familiar with these religious beliefs. He also said the Ram Janmabhoomi police station in Ayodhya already existed and was established during the Congress era, not by the BJP government.

Pal also targeted Congress leader Rahul Gandhi over his comments on traders who had urged continuing their protest in view of Diwali and festivals. He said Gandhi had told the traders to speak with Prime Minister Narendra Modi. Pal compared this statement to the alleged remarks of the Pahalgam terrorists, claiming the language was similar, and questioned why such similarity appeared in the words of Rahul Gandhi and the terrorists.