Tone up law and order, Rajnath Singh tells UP govt

Lucknow: In a strong message to the Uttar Prad-esh government, Home Minister Rajnath Singh on Saturday said it should pay serious attention to the law and order situation in the state.
“Take law and order situation seriously,” he said while extending all help from the Centre in this regard. He was talking to reporters on the sidelines of a function where he flagged off a tri-weekly Lucknow-Kath-godam Express train. “As far as law and order situation is concerned, I feel Uttar Pradesh government will definitely pay special atten-tion to it,” he said while responding to a query rela-ted to rising crime graph in the state capital, especially crime against young girls.
In a latest incident, a girl was hacked to death in the state capital last week while there have been several reports of crime against women from different parts of the state. Singh, however, assured the state govern-ment that the Centre would extend all help in this regard as and when required.
To a question on the conspicuous absence of Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and some other pro-minent people’s represen-tatives at the programme, he said it could have been because of their preoc-cupation with some other pressing engagements.
“Whenever there is any government programme, all people’s representatives are invited and the Indian Railways extended invita-tions maintaining this convention.
I believe they must have had some pressing engagements,” Singh said. On invitation to Akhilesh Yadav, he said it was not part of the protocol. “Wherever it is required, he will be invited,” Singh said.
To a query as to what would be there for Lucknow  his Lok Sabha constituency — in the Rail Budget, he remarked, “I do not make rail budget.” (PTI)