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Amidst the mourning and rescue operations following the devastating fire at a commercial building in Lucknow's Aliganj area, which claimed 15 lives on Monday, a sharp political confrontation has erupted between the ruling BJP and the opposition Samajwadi Party (SP).
The standoff was triggered by remarks from SP Chief Akhilesh Yadav, who blamed the current administration for "gross negligence" and corruption regarding building approvals and safety norms. Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, who has been overseeing the relief efforts, issued a scathing rebuttal, accusing the former Chief Minister of politicising a national tragedy. Addressing the allegations, Pathak pointedly blamed the legacy of the previous administration for the current structural and safety failures. "Fifteen people have lost their lives in this tragic accident, yet you are engaging in politics. You are well aware that the corruption involving the plot allotment in 2016 and the illegal electrical installation occurred under your government's watch; it was your administration that sealed the premises and subsequently unsealed them. The roots of your corruption run so deep that we are all still forced to bear the consequences. The children who have lost their lives are victims of your government's misdeeds; please do not politicise this." Pathak said the state government had acted swiftly following the incident. He noted that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath cancelled his scheduled programmes and visited the site immediately after the tragedy. "Our government will take strict action with full commitment. Honourable Chief Minister cancelled all programmes and reached the spot immediately, talked to the victims and took action at night itself to get them justice," he said. In response, the state government suspended an Assistant Engineer and a Junior Engineer of the Lucknow Development Authority on CM Yogi Adityanath's orders, formed a 5-member probe panel led by Gyanendra Verma to find the cause and regulatory lapses, and had Aliganj police register a case under BNS and the UP Fire Service Act against six named people and others. Four arrests have been made so far. The remarks came after Akhilesh Yadav demanded compensation of at least Rs 1 crore for the families of those who lost their lives in the Aliganj fire incident. Yadav alleged that negligence, violation of safety norms and widespread corruption were responsible for the tragedy and called for an investigation into the issuance of No Objection Certificates (NOCs) for the building. The three-storey building in Lucknow's Aliganj area, which housed a gaming and animation studio, caught fire on Monday. Among the 15 deceased were students, trainees and staff members working at the facility. (ANI)
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