'Saifai Bollywood bash more important for SP than riot victims'

The Bharatiya Janata Party and Congress on Thursday slammed the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh for holding celebrations at party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav's native village of Saifai while the victims of the Muzaffarnagar riots reportedly suffer under adverse weather conditions at relief camps in the state.

"The media has highlighted how, when the relief camps are still in want of a lot of help and people struggle in the extreme cold, you find that the ruling party of UP... is holding celebrations for two-three days in the native village of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav," BJP spokesperson Nirmala Sitharaman said.

She demanded that SP speak up on the issue.

Congress, meanwhile, charged that SP was lacking in sensitivity.

"SP has got its own way of working and sensitivity, of course, is missing in this case. Had the UP government been vigilant, these riots would not have taken place. At this time, they are having these Bollywood shows at Saifai for a long time and probably they feel it is a great event for them," said Congress general secretary Digvijaya Singh.

Image: Bollywood stars Salman Khan, Madhuri Dikshit, Mallika Sherawat and others at the Saifai Mahotsav on Wednesday

Photograph courtesy: Twitter