Mayawati seeks ban on Amit Shah's poll campaigning

Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Monday said BJP general secretary Amit Shah's remarks that Azamgarh was a haven for terrorist were "baseless", and urged the poll panel to ban his poll campaigning in Uttar Pradesh.

At a rally in Azamgarh Sunday, Shah alleged that most terrorists were from Azamgarh.

Mayawati told media persons in Lucknow that Shah had violated the Model Code of Conduct and his comments can lead to deterioration of law and order situation in Azamgarh and eastern Uttar Pradesh.

"In view of such a communally sensitive, baseless and mischievous statement, I urge the poll panel to ban Shah from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh," she said.

"...He should be banned. Otherwise any untoward incident can take place in eastern Uttar Pradesh," she added.

Shah earlier faced censure of the Election Commission for asking voters to cast their ballot and "take revenge" for the Muzaffarnagar riots.

Mayawati also called for a ban on Samajwadi Party leader Abu Azmi, who a few days back said a DNA test should be conducted on Muslims who do not vote for the SP.

She said there was a lot of anger over Azmi's remarks in Uttar Pradesh, particularly in eastern parts of the state.

"This remark can affect election in eastern UP. Strict action should be taken against him at the earliest. Azmi should also be banned from coming to Uttar Pradesh," she said.

At an April 30 election rally in Sant Kabir Nagar district of Uttar Pradesh, Azmi said: "If any Muslim opposes the Samajwadi Party, have a DNA test done on him, he could be an RSS man. Muslims who don't vote for the Samajwadi Party are not true Muslims."

Mayawati also said that poll arrangements in Uttar Pradesh in the previous phases of polls had not been fully satisfactory and the poll panel should remove the "shortcomings" in the remaining two phases of poll.

She demanded adequate presence of central forces at all polling booths.

"There should be special arrangements for Azamgarh," Mayawati said.

SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav is pitted against BJP's Ramakant Yadav in Azamgarh.