Bahraich communal riot: Akhilesh accuses Yogi Govt of using Hitler’s tactic

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav made a comparison of the communal violence that happened in UP’s Bahraich under the BJP government to the violence in Germany under Adolf Hitler, who had given the Nazis a free hand to commit riots, the BJP government also let their men unleash violence.

Yadav, speaking to reporters at the party’s state headquarters, alleged the involvement of BJP workers in the riot, calling it a tactic used by German dictator Adolf Hitler, and claiming that the ruling party gave rioters a 'free hand' to engage in violence.

Yadav’s accusations included a claim that BJP members were directly responsible for orchestrating the unrest in Bahraich, pointing to an FIR allegedly filed by a BJP Member of the Legislative Assembly (MLA) against the party’s own workers, suggesting a conspiracy to incite riots.

A video circulating on social media, he noted, allegedly captured evidence of the police’s absence for several hours during the disturbances in Maharajganj, a situation that he argued facilitated the violence.

According to the SP leader, the way the violence unfolded bore similarities to Hitler's methods, where rioters operated under the guise of official sanction. He said, “This is how Hitler used to work. Hitler used to send his party workers wearing police uniforms to the front. The police were removed and riots were allowed to happen.” He implied that the BJP's approach to handling the situation was driven by a fear of public backlash due to their inability to address inflation and unemployment concerns.

Yadav also alleged that the BJP was misusing state machinery to interfere with the upcoming by-elections in nine assembly constituencies. He suggested that the administration was actively participating in partisan activities, citing reports that some district magistrates were behaving like BJP representatives. Referring to Ambedkar Nagar, he stated that the district magistrate there had been identifying local leaders and threatening them, targeting village heads and ration shop owners.

Further criticising administrative conduct, Yadav questioned the training provided at the Indian Administrative Service (IAS) academies, accusing officers of aligning with the ruling party. “We will put up the pictures of these officers and say that they have become officer bearers of the BJP,” he asserted. Additionally, he claimed that in Kanpur, SP’s candidate was intentionally given the wrong nomination form to disqualify him, which he plans to report to the Election Commission.

The former chief minister condemned the state’s deteriorating law and order situation, attributing it to the BJP’s influence over the police. He mentioned an incident in Kanpur involving a female constable who allegedly faced harassment, asserting that such cases were not isolated but indicative of a wider pattern across Uttar Pradesh. Senior police officers, he alleged, faced suspension for taking action against the rioters, suggesting that the police force was effectively "handcuffed" by the BJP.

Commenting on the recent Supreme Court decision to halt bulldozer operations in Bahraich, Yadav asserted that genuine justice would only be served if the BJP were ousted from power, either by judicial intervention or through electoral defeat.

The allegations mark a significant escalation in the political narrative as Uttar Pradesh gears up for crucial by-elections. The SP’s claims of administrative bias and electoral manipulation, coupled with accusations of mishandling communal tensions, indicate a tense political climate in the state, with both parties gearing up for an intense electoral battle.