Varanasi: Mocking the BJP for staging a protest against him, Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Ajay Rai questioned whom the ruling party was demanding action from when it was itself in power. Referring to the display of his criminal record during the protest, Rai said, “If action has to be taken, they are in government and can do it. When our govt comes to power, we will settle the accounts.”A day after BJP functionaries staged a sit-in at district headquarters on Wednesday against his alleged derogatory remarks on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Rai held a press conference at his camp office here on Thursday. Making mockery of the BJP’s protest, he said that in his 37 years’ political career he was witnessing it for the first time when ruling party is holding a protest against opposition leader.“The BJP is repeatedly showing my criminal record and demanding action, whereas it is their own govt. Cases being shown in my account are lodged by people in power,” said Rai. “Whatever action they want to take, let them take it. If they want to get me encountered, go ahead, encounter me, murder my family, demolish my house with a bulldozer, but I will not bow under any threat or pressure in my struggle to bring the truth to light,” he added.Rai alleged that the BJP is making personal attacks on Rahul Gandhi and Congress to divert attention from real issues. He alleged that whenever Congress raises the rights of farmers, youth, women, Dalits, backward and deprived sections, the BJP started targeting the opposition instead of responding.Claiming that BJP was using an AI generated video to target him while referring his Mahoba visit to meet the family of Dalit girl, Rai said that the BJP panicked when Congress stood with the victim’s family, and instead of delivering justice, political blame games began. He claimed that the BJP is attacking Congress to conceal administrative failures, deteriorating law and order and insensitivity towards weaker sections.Expressing concern over the state’s law and order situation, Rai said that incidents of murder, robbery, harassment of women and organised crime have increased. Citing high-profile murders in Ghazipur, Varanasi, Bhadohi, Jaunpur and Ghaziabad, he said that fear of the administration among criminals has diminished. He also raised questions over encounters and half-encounters and said that the rule of law is governed by the constitution and the courts.Highlighting cases of paper leaks, he said that unemployment is rising, posts are lying vacant and inflation is putting pressure on the common public. Regarding Kashi, he said that in the name of development, the city’s heritage and local interests are being ignored.
