Patna, July 1 (IANS) The Vikassheel Insaan Party (VIP) has strongly criticised the alleged house arrest of its founder and former Bihar minister Mukesh Sahani in Uttar Pradesh, describing the action as an attack on democratic values and constitutional rights.

The party’s National Chief Spokesperson, Dev Jyoti, alleged that the Uttar Pradesh administration prevented Sahani from carrying out his scheduled political programme.

Addressing the media in Patna, Dev Jyoti claimed that the government was attempting to suppress opposition voices through the use of police and administrative machinery.

He alleged that Mukesh Sahani had been highlighting what the party described as the government’s policy failures and administrative shortcomings during his public outreach.

The restrictions, he asserted, were imposed to prevent him from interacting with people.

Describing the reported action as a murder of democracy, Dev Jyoti said it amounted to an insult to the Constitution framed under the leadership of B. R. Ambedkar.

The VIP spokesperson argued that preventing an opposition leader from attending a public programme on law-and-order grounds amounted to an assault on democratic principles.

He further alleged that the government was relying on police action rather than political engagement to deal with its opponents.

These remarks represented the party’s political position.

Dev Jyoti said the party would challenge the matter through legal means and continue what it described as a democratic struggle against authoritarianism and political vendetta.

According to him, the VIP would intensify its campaign against any attempt to curb the democratic rights of opposition leaders.

Mukesh Sahani was prevented from travelling from Lucknow to Shahjahanpur in Uttar Pradesh after being placed under what the party described as house arrest on June 29.

Reacting to the incident, Sahani alleged that restricting the movement of an elected public representative was a direct attack on democracy.

He claimed that preventing him from attending his scheduled programme indicated a reluctance on the part of the government to engage in democratic dialogue.

He further alleged that stopping his proposed visits to Shahjahanpur and other districts was contrary to democratic norms and likened the situation to an undeclared Emergency.

The allegations made by Mukesh Sahani and the VIP are political claims.

At the time of these statements, no response from the Uttar Pradesh government or the concerned administrative authorities was included regarding the allegations of house arrest and restrictions on his movement.

–IANS

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