Dozens injured as Samajwadi party activists clash with police in Varanasi

Varanasi, Oct 23 : Dozens including women were injured when Samajwadi party activists demonstrating against Mayawati Government clashed with police here today.

Police baton charged and used water canons to disperse the party workers who were staging a demonstration.

Samajwadi party, which was dislodged from power in the state by the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) during last elections, has been accusing Mayawati as "anti development."

As per reports, police asked party workers to be calm as they were raising slogans against Mayawati as part of their three-day statewide campaign.

Police arrested about 150 party workers during the clashes.

Those injured have been sent to a nearby hospital.

Samajwadi party launched the statewide campaign against the Mayawati government following cancellation of the land allotment for a much hyped rail coach factory in Congress party President Sonia Gandhi's Rae Bareli constituency.

On Sunday, Mayawati had announced cancellation of land allotment, a day before Gandhi was to attend a rally for a ground-breaking ceremony.

State authorities had cited resentment among displaced farmers as the reason for the cancellation of the land deal.

Mayawati said that the railway coach factory in Rae Bareli was part of a political conspiracy to mislead the poor, specially the residents of the constituency.

On Monday, the Lucknow bench of the Allahabad High Court had directed the state and the Centre to maintain the status quo on the land allotted to the Railways for setting up of a rail coach factory in Rae Bareli.

Although the state government has reversed its decision, the Congress party's hope of getting the project off the ground well before the Parliament elections are announced seems doomed.

ANI