Congress, SP Should Stop Shedding Crocodile Tears, Says Mayawati after Priyanka's Visit to Sonbhadra

Lucknow: BSP president Mayawati on Tuesday took a swipe at the Congress and the Samajwadi Party after Priyanka Gandhi's visit to Sonbhadra, saying their leaders should "stop shedding crocodile tears" and instead work towards restoring the land to the tribals.

"According to the victims of the Sonbhadra case, first the land mafia of Congress and SP grabbed their land, following which many of the tribals were killed," she said in a series of tweets in Hindi.

"Instead of shedding crocodile tears, the SP and Congress leaders should now come forward to restore the land to the tribals so that this could be corrected," Mayawati said.

Her statement came as Congress General Secretary Priyanka Gandhi visited Umbha village to meet the families of the 10 Gond tribals who were gunned down on July 17 over a land dispute.

Mayawati said the BJP government should also take strict steps in this regard and ensure that the tribals get back the land.

Priyanka Gandhi's earlier attempt to meet the families soon after the incident had failed, when the administration had stopped her from reaching there by promulgating Article 144.