BJP leader and former Sardhana MLA Sangeet Singh Som has accused Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav of conspiring to have him killed, news agency Press Trust of India reported. The allegation could not be independently verified.
Samajwadi Party MLA and former Uttar Pradesh cabinet minister Shahid Manzoor declined to comment directly on the allegation, saying Som should seek additional government security if he feared for his life.
Som, who is known for making controversial statements, reportedly made the allegation during a recent podcast. He claimed that a plan involving a person named Titu Yadav could not be carried out.
PTI's attempts to contact Som for a response were unsuccessful as his mobile phone was switched off.
Manzoor told PTI, "He is a BJP leader, a former MLA and a firebrand leader. His party is in power. If he faces a threat to his life, he should apply to the government. If 26-27 security personnel are not enough, he can take 50-100 personnel. If even Z-plus security is insufficient, he can seek NSG protection."
Manzoor also asked Som to check how many security personnel had been provided to him by the Akhilesh Yadav government when he was an MLA.
Suggesting that the allegation could be politically motivated, Manzoor said, "Perhaps someone is saying such things to increase his TRP. It is also possible that he is doing this to secure his ticket. I do not want to comment on it".
Som has previously accused the Akhilesh Yadav-led Samajwadi Party government of filing serious criminal cases against him and other leaders during its tenure.
Before joining the BJP in 2011, Som was associated with the Samajwadi Party and contested the 2009 Lok Sabha election from Muzaffarnagar on an SP ticket. He won the Sardhana Assembly seat on a BJP ticket in 2012.
Som's allegation against Yadav remains unverified, while Manzoor has said the former MLA should approach the BJP government for more security if he believes he faces a threat.
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