UP BJP chief calls alliance MLA ''thief'', SBSP says legislator targeted for being Dalit

Varanasi, June 21

Days after Uttar Pradesh BJP chief Mahendra Nath Pandey allegedly called an alliance MLA a “thief”, the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) on Thursday alleged that legislator Kailash Sonkar was being targeted for being a Dalit.

Pandey had allegedly made the remarks on Tuesday in the presence of Deputy Chief Minister Dinesh Sharma while laying the foundation stone for development projects in Varanasi and Chandauli districts here at the Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyaya Rajkiya Mahavidyalaya.

Sonkar, an MLA from Ajgara Assembly seat, which falls in the Chandauli Lok Sabha constituency from where Pandey is an MP, told mediapersons that he was being targeted for being a Dalit. SBSP state vice-president Nityanand Pandey was also present on the occasion.

He demanded that the state BJP chief tender an apology for insulting not only him but also the whole of Ajgara.

On Tuesday, when Pandey was asked why the name of the MLA of Ajgara was not mentioned on the foundation stone, Pandey allegedly replied, “Isme yaha ke vidhyak ka naam nahi likhwaya kyonki woh chor nikal gaya (The name of local MLA is not mentioned as he turned out to be a thief).”

In response, Sonkar said he was hurt by the remark, adding, “This was not expected from a highly learned person like Pandey.” He threatened to file a defamation suit if an apology was not tendered.

The SBSP MLA, who was allegedly involved in a fraud case, said all charges levelled against him were baseless and it was a conspiracy by his rivals to defame him. PTI