UP government blocking central schemes: BJP chief

Lucknow, June 7 (IANS) The Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh has been blocking several central welfare schemes, the reason why the benefits are not reaching the intended beneficiaries, BJP president Amit Shah said here on Tuesday.

"The central government has launched several schemes for the welfare of farmers like the Pradhan Mantri Fasal Bima Yojana. But the state government has been blocking the central schemes for petty political reasons," Shah told the media here.

Accusing the ruling Samajwadi Party of shielding the corrupt and the goons, Shah asked why the Akhilesh Yadav government was not acting against those it had itself accused of corruption during the earlier Bahujan Samaj Party rule.

"They came to power on the plank of ending corruption allegedly prevalent during the BSP government. Why have they not acted against any corrupt in the last four years and sent them to jail?" the BJP chief said.

Targeting the Uttar Pradesh government for what he said was the "deteriorating" law and order situation in the state in the wake of the Mathura violence, Shah wondered aloud how could goons shoot at police officers with impunity.