With an incident of violence reported during the second phase of the Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh's Shahjahanpur, Finance and Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna on Tuesday said that Samajwadi Party wants to do "politics while BJP's message is that of love".
Reacting to the alleged violence by workers of SP candidate Roshan Lal Verma during the voting in the Tilhar assembly, Uttar Pradesh Finance Minister Suresh Khanna said, "We (BJP) are defensive while they were offensive. Our people have not done anything wrong."
"Woh (SP) siyassat chahte hai apna paagam mohabbat ka hai (SP wants politics, our message is love). And this is absolutely true. The basic character of a person depends on his own self. That's what he (Verma) is doing," Khanna said.
Tilhar assembly seat of Shahjahanpur on Monday witnessed tension between workers of the Samajwadi Party and the Bharatiya Janata Party.
Tilhar BJP candidate Salona Kushwaha registered an FIR against the Samajwadi Party workers accusing them of firing and indulging in a scuffle with the BJP workers. The BJP also protested outside the Nigohi police station demanding the arrest of all the accused. The protest ended after the senior police officials assured the BJP of action against the people found guilty.
Salona Kushwaha, while speaking toafter the violence, said, "I am getting majority support from the entire Tilhar Vidhan Sabha constituency and we are winning by around 80 per cent in each booth. Seeing all this, Roshan Lal Verma, who has been a former BJP MLA, is furious."
The BJP candidate alleged that "SP sent their goons from place to place and heckled the BJP workers".
"The police station in-charge is also guilty. Our (BJP) workers were lathicharged. Some of them suffered injuries on hands and legs," Kushwaha added.
The BJP candidate accused the SP candidate of being responsible for the violence.
"I believe in the law and order. The police administration has assured cooperation. Many FIRs have been lodged against Roshan Lal Verma. I was also manhandled," Kushwaha said.
The BJP candidate alleged that an attempt was made to get fake votes cast at Hathras Inter College.
Shahjahanpur's Tilhar assembly seat has become a matter of prestige for the BJP and the SP. The BSP has fielded Nawab Faizan Ali Khan and the Congress Rajnish Gupta.
( With inputs from ANI )
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