SP protected butchers whereas BJP respects cow: UP Dy CM Pathak

Lucknow (UP), Sep 20 ( PTI) Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday hit out at the Samajwadi Party (SP), saying that the SP protected butchers while the BJP respected the cow.

Attacking Akhilesh Yadav, he said that the SP chief has forgotten that "during his government's rule, criminals were openly protected and illegal slaughterhouses operated without a check." Earlier this week, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav criticised the ruling BJP over the alleged killing of a 20-year-old NEET aspirant in Gorakhpur by suspected cattle smugglers, saying that despite seeking votes on the promise of ending cattle smuggling, the UP government has failed to curtail such activities in the last nine years.

In an official statement, Brajesh Pathak said, "During the SP government, Gau Mata was slaughtered openly, and butchers enjoyed government protection. It was the Samajwadi Party that gave protection to butchers, and the party that protected Gau Mata is BJP." He alleged that for the sake of vote bank politics, Akhilesh Yadav is backing a criminal.

Brajesh Pathak further said that under the leadership of CM Yogi Adityanath, criminals will no longer be showered with flowers. "If criminals open fire at police, they will also respond in the same manner and intensity. Today, criminals have either fled the state or are rotting in jails," said the Dy CM. PTI CDN AMJ AMJ