REMARKS AGAINST UP’S DIVISION

Statehood women activists burn Mulayam’s effigy

Haridwar, November 22
Women who had faced police bullets, atrocities and manhandling from the Uttar Pradesh Police on the Rampur Tiraha-Muzaffarnagar border on October 2, 1994, during the Uttarakhand statehood movement, took to streets today protesting against Mulayam Singh Yadav against his anti-small states’ remarks.

Under the aegis of the Uttarakhand Rajya Andolankari Manch, these women statehood activists blamed Mulayam for the mass atrocity on tens of thousands of Uttarakhand activists, who were going to New Delhi to participate in a statehood rally but were violently stopped by the UP Police.

The women activists said Mulayam was always against smaller states, particularly against the formation of Uttarakhand, as he always had bias against hilly people.

Led by women cell chief of the UKM Meera Raturi, dozens of such activists gathered at Bhagat Singh Chowk and took out a procession on the inner roads.

Raturi said while Mayawati had proposed the division of Uttar Pradesh into four new states, its only Mulayam who was against this step, which will usher in development into these regions.

Reacting sharply to Mulayam making similar comment about the creation of Uttarakhand while on a visit to Dehradun last week in the presence of former Chief Minister Narayan Dutt Tiwari, veteran manch activist Deveshwari Gairola termed it deliberate attempt by Yadav to put salt on the wounds of those who got affected during the Rampur intersection police firing.

“Tiwari despite being the first CM of Uttaranchal should have objected to Mulayam’s comments, neither did BJP leaders condemn his statement. This is the sad part of people of this hilly state. We fought on ground, but its only politicians who gained from this statehood,” said Nafeesa.

These activists burnt the effigy of the leader seeking a public apology from the people of Uttarakhand for allowing the police to first stop and then fire on the innocent statehood activists at the Rampur intersection.