This Article is From Jul 22, 2019

Yogi Adityanath, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra Exchange Digs Over UP Killings

A 30-minute shooting by the village chief Yagya Dutt and 200 of his associates on a group of farmers was one of the most gruesome massacres in the state in recent times.

Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was detained by the police when she tried to meet the families of the men killed.

New Delhi:

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday tarred the opposition Congress, Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party over Wednesday's shocking shooting at a village in Sonbhadra that left 10 people dead and 24 injured. His attack was preceded by a series of tweets from Congress's Priyanka Gandhi Vadra, in which she took on the Chief Minister and his government.

A Hindi tweet from Priyanka Gandhi Vadra read: "When the Congress's thousands of workers and people who love justice came in support of the victims of Umbha, only then the UP government realised that a serious incident has taken place. The announcements made today should be implemented soon. The tribals must get the ownership of the land and most importantly, people of the village must be protected."   

A second one also took a dig at the Chief Minister for his "late" visit.

"I welcome respected Chief Minister's Sonbhadra visit. Even though it is late, it is the government's duty to stand with the victims. It is good to know your duties. Umbha has been waiting for justice for a long time. Expect that the victims of Umbha will get justice and their five demands will be fulfilled," it read.

A 30-minute shooting by the village chief Yagya Dutt and 200 of his associates on a group of farmers was one of the most gruesome massacres in in the state in recent times. The attack was over the control of land that tribal farmers have been cultivating for decades.

Accusing the village head of being a member of the Samajwadi Party and his brother of belonging to Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party, Yogi Adityanath said the shooting was a "big political conspiracy" the foundations of which were laid by the Congress more than six decades ago.

"The foundations were laid in 1955 when this land was transferred to a trust. In 1989 a Congress government in UP transferred the land (back) to individual members," the Chief Minister said, indicating the transfers amounted to a land grab attempt that exposed the party's "anti-Dalit, anti-forest dwellers, anti-tribal face".

On Saturday, Priyanka Gandhi Vadra was detained by the police when she tried to meet the families of the men killed. The stand-off made headlines and was resolved only after some of the families were allowed to meet her.

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