Hours after the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led government extended the ban on the entry of outsiders into Sambhal till December 10, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said that the BJP is completely bent on dictatorship and it does not believe in democracy.

“Injustice and atrocities are at their peak in Uttar Pradesh. The BJP does not believe in democracy. There is an emergency-like situation in Uttar Pradesh,” Yadav said in a release shared by the party on X.

The former chief minister said imposing a ban shows the failure of the BJP government, administration and management. Asserting that he said if the government had imposed such a ban earlier on “those who thought of causing riots and made people raise frenzied slogans”, the harmony and peace in Sambhal would not have been disturbed.

“It is noteworthy that the District Magistrate of Sambhal, in his order (IPC Section 163), has prohibited the entry of any outsider, other social organization and public representative within the boundary of Sambhal district without permission till 10.12.2024,” the statement read.

The Samajwadi Party chief slammed the UP government for stopping a 15-member delegation from entering violence-affected Sambhal, claiming that the BJP government seeks to conceal the injustices and atrocities it has perpetrated there.

He said that this government is fearful, unwilling to allow the truth to surface, and apprehensive about public outrage.

Yadav accused the government of instructing the police to confine Opposition leaders, including prominent leaders from the Samajwadi Party, to their homes.

He questioned why prominent leaders such as Mata Prasad Pandey, Lal Bihari Yadav, Shyam Lal Pal, and Ravidas Mehrotra were barred from leaving their residences when the restrictions were reportedly limited to Sambhal district.

“Has the BJP government declared a state of emergency across the entire state? The Leader of the Opposition and the State President of the Samajwadi Party couldn’t even reach the party office,” he stated.

“Such house arrest of public representatives poses a serious threat to democracy. Since the BJP took power, it has been systematically undermining democracy and the Constitution,” Yadav added.

The SP chief expressed his displeasure regarding the obstruction faced by the Samajwadi Party delegation. He suggested that similar to how the BJP frequently reshuffles its cabinet, there should be a complete overhaul of the administrative body in Sambhal in response to allegations of negligence, including accountability for any deaths that occurred.

Announcing that the Samajwadi Party would provide financial aid of Rs 5 lakh to each family of the innocent victims of the Sambhal incident, the party has demanded that the BJP government grant Rs 25 lakh in compensation to the families of those killed in the violence.

Furthermore, Yadav asserted that justice is anticipated solely from the President and the Supreme Court, insisting that those who threaten the unity and peace of the nation be held accountable.

Leader of Opposition in the Lok Sabha and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi on Saturday accused Prime Minister Narendra Modi of being biased towards industrialist Gautam Adani and of discriminating against Wayanad landslides victims by not providing them the due support.

In a joint public meeting with sister Priyanka in Wayanad after her massive victory in the Lok Sabha byelection, Rahul alleged that PM Modi was treating Adani differently from the people of India, despite his indictment in the US, even though the Constitution says everyone should be treated equally.

Hitting out at PM Modi, Rahul claimed that the “PM says it does not matter if Adani has been indicted in the US and called a criminal there, in India we will not indict him”.

Continuing his allegations against the prime minister, the Leader of the Opposition in the Lok Sabha said Modi discriminates against the people of Wayanad and he was not willing to provide them the support that they were due.

He said: “This is the atmosphere in which we are operating. It is the feelings that people have toward us that give us confidence and protect us.”

After paying tribute to the victims of the landslides, Rahul said his party and the UDF are standing with the people who lost family members, property and suffered in the tragedy.

He said unfortunately his party is not in the government and therefore they cannot do what a government can do. “So, I told my sister and (AICC general secretary) K C Venugopal that every member of the Congress and the UDF should put pressure on the government of Kerala to help the victims of the landslides,” he added.

Rahul said Priyanka’s win from the Wayanad seat indicates that the people have placed their faith and trust in them to represent the hill constituency in the Parliament. He also expressed confidence that the Congress-led opposition will defeat the ideology of the BJP which behaves arrogantly and allegedly spreads hate and divisiveness.

The Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) on Saturday appealed to the Bangladesh interim government to release ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das from jail immediately and said attacks on Hindus by Islamic fundamentalists were extremely worrying.

In a statement, RSS general secretary Dattatreya Hosabale also appealed to the Government of India to press its demands to stop the atrocities on the Hindus and other minorities in Bangladesh. He asked the Indian government to take necessary steps to build global opinion in its support at the earliest.

“The attacks, murders, looting, arson as well as inhuman atrocities by Islamic fundamentalists on Hindus, women and all other minorities in Bangladesh are extremely worrying and the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh condemns this,” Hosabale said.

He said that the present Bangladesh government and other agencies were only silent spectators instead of stopping the atrocities.

The RSS general secretary said that out of helplessness, a new phase of injustice and atrocities seems to be emerging against the Hindus of Bangladesh to suppress the voice raised by them in a democratic way for self-defense.

“It is unjust for the Bangladesh government to send ISKCON monk Chinmoy Krishna Das, who is leading the Hindus in such peaceful demonstrations, to jail,” he said.

Hosabale added that Bangladesh Police earlier on Monday arrested International Society for Krishna Consciousness (ISKCON) monk Chinmoy Krishna Das Brahmachari from the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport area in Dhaka while he was travelling to Chittagong.

At this crucial time, India and the global community and institutions should stand with the victims of Bangladesh and express their support, and demand that their respective governments make every possible effort to ensure that atrocities on the Hindus and other minorities are stopped in Bangladesh immediately, the RSS general secretary said.

“We want a united Bangladesh,” said the priest, arrested by Bangladeshi authorities, in a message from a prison van on Tuesday. Addressing his followers outside the Chittagong court, the ISKCON priest, who enjoys massive popularity in the country, urged his supporters to remain peaceful and avoid disrupting public order.

Communication Director, ISKCON, Vrajendra Nandan Das on Friday said: “If an institution like ISKCON is called a terrorist and radical organisation in Bangladesh, it’s a baseless thing and a lie. No one – in India and around the world will accept this. Those devotees who organised Bhandara and fed needy people – were killed. I hope that the interim govt of Bangladesh will take strict action against the culprits and I expect them to give proper security to Hindus.”