Scindia's Mandsaur visit purely 'publicity oriented': BJP

Mumbai/ Bengaluru [India], June 14 (ANI): Lashing out at Congress leader Jyotiraditya Scindia for forcefully trying to enter Madhya Pradesh's violence-hit Mandsaur district, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on Wednesday said the former's visit to the area was purely 'publicity oriented'. Speaking to ANI here, BJP leader S. Prakash said it was very saddening indeed that responsible leaders like Scindia deliberately tried to go to Mandsaur, even when the administration has clearly issued notification on the same. "Scindia's effort to enter Mandsaur was truly to create a hue for himself, nothing else. If he had genuine concern for the people, he would have refrained from going their till the normalcy restored. The incident was purely publicity oriented visit," BJP leader S. Prakash told ANI. Another BJP leader Shaina NC assured that the only agenda of the Madhya Pradesh Government is to ensure normalcy in the state. "It is important to understand that if someone wants to have a political one-upmanship at a time of unrest in a state, the state administration is entitled to do what is correct to bring back normalcy," Shaina told ANI. Earlier on Tuesday, Scindia was released on personal bond, few hours later when was arrested for trying to enter Mandsaur to meet the kin of farmers' killed in police firing during an agitation. The Police arrested him under section 151 of the Indian Penal Code (IPC). Section 151 in the Indian Penal Code (IPC) refers to a situation wherein a person or persons knowingly join or continue in assembly of five or more persons after being commanded to disperse. Speaking to the reporters, Scindia said, "I have told the police that if I have been charged with 144 then I will go alone. Who can stop if a person wants to go alone?". Mandsaur has become the epicenter of a farmers' agitation over a demand for loan waivers and better prices for their produce. During the agitation, six farmers were gunned down by the police, thereby drawing criticism from political parties. The situation forced the district officials to impose Section 144, and restricted prominent personalities from visiting the violence-hit district. A number of political leaders, including Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi, and social activists tried to visit Mandsaur but the police didn't let them enter the area. The curfew has been lifted from Mandsaur, but prohibitory orders remain. Meanwhile, the state government has issued a notification for the judicial probe of the Mandsaur violence. Retired Justice J. K. Jain will head the one-member judicial commission. The single member commission will probe under what circumstances the farmers were killed in the agitation. The commission will also probe the action taken by the administration and police to control the situation was appropriate or not. (ANI)