UP govt termed powder used for polishing furniture as PETN: Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday alleged that the Uttar Pradesh government had termed a powder used to polish furniture as PETN explosive to prevent former MLAs from entering the assembly complex.

On July 12, a packet of powder was found in the state assembly after which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath told the House that it was a dangerous plastic explosive, Pentaerythritol Tetranitrate (PETN).

The chief minister had recommended an NIA probe into it and an FIR was lodged under various sections of the Unlawful Activities Prevention Act and sections 120B (criminal conspiracy) and 121A (conspiring to wage war) of the IPC.

"For preventing the entry of former MLAs to the Vidhan Bhawan, a powder used for polishing furniture was termed as explosive PETN by the state government," Akhilesh said at a press conference here.

The former chief minister also alleged that the BJP government was misusing the police to harass his party's workers by framing fake cases against them.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and other BJP leaders used to allege that the SP was running police stations. Now, the BJP government is using the police for playing politics with rivals," he said.

Akhilesh alleged that to make its district panchayat chairman in Auraiya, the BJP was harassing incumbent Kallu Yadav and his family, and claimed that cases of rape and murder were lodged against him.

"The same is being done with other members. We will complain about it to the Election Commission and the Governor," he said.

On SP MLCs resigning and moving to the BJP, Akhilesh said, "It shows, BJP leaders are afraid of facing the electorate and were poaching SP members for entry to the Upper House."

Commenting on MLCs Yashwant Singh and Bukkal Nawab, who joined the BJP, he predicted that "one is going to become the housing minister and other is being given the revenue and transport department".

"Both are now clean and upright after joining the BJP," he ridiculed.

On the removal of four members from the Lohia Trust, Akhilesh sarcastically said, "I am not bothered about it. I am being termed as 'Aurengzeb' (the Mughal emperor). Beware of me."