PRAYAGRAJ, Oct. 26 -- Aazad Samaj Party (Kanshi Ram) president and Nagina MP Chandrashekhar Azad on Monday alleged that lawlessness was at its peak in Uttar Pradesh and that influential people continued to intimidate the poor despite the government's claims that mafia had been wiped out in the state.

Without naming Kunda MLA Raghuraj Pratap Singh, Azad said the government often claimed to have eliminated mafia elements from the state, yet an influential leader was openly displaying weapons and creating fear among weaker sections of society.

The Nagina MP made these remarks at a public meeting in Prayagraj's Phulpur. His remarks came days after the Kunda MLA performed traditional "Shastra Pujan" in Pratapgarh on Dussehra. During the cere...