law and order situation in UP deplorable: Jaiswal

New Delhi, Jan 14 (UNI) Minister of State for Home Sriprakash Jaiswal strongly criticised the Mulayam Singh Yadav Government for ''deplorable'' law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh and said that this along with unemployment, would be a crucial issues in the coming assembly elections.

Talking to UNI, Mr Jaiswal said that the Nithari killings have revealed the true law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh.

Twenty-nine children went missing over two years but the police did not even lodge a FIR, he said, adding that it shows that the state government did not care for its people and was not affected by the plight of the victims and their families.

Asserting that the Samajwadi Party government's claim that the law and order was good in Uttar Pradesh was hard to believe, he said that Nithari and law and order would definitely be an issue in the assembly elections.

''Law and order is associated with the prosperity of any state. MNCs and other companies invest in a state only if the they feel secure which is necessary for reducing unemployment,'' he noted.

Regarding the preparations being made by the Congress, the MP from Kanpur said that the party would improve its tally in the state. He said that along with UPA Chairperson Sonia Gandhi, Mr Rahul Gandhi would play a decisive role in the party's performance in the state as he did in case of election of Ms Gandhi.

''Rahul is a youth icon and the entire youth force of the country is looking at him for direction. However, we do not want to confine him to Uttar Pradesh alone, as he has to give leadership to the entire country,'' Mr Jaiswal said.

Defending the Congress initial support to the Samajwadi Party, he said that it was issue based support to prevent communal elements from forming a government in the state. ''However, Mr Yadav subsequently managed to get majority. But now his associate parties are also leaving him indicating the decline,'' he said.

UNI