A father Should not be Punished for the Actions of his Son

Opposition demands the BJP leader Mr Mishra quit and tags him as a "Criminal."

New Delhi: Amid pressure from the opposition leaders demanding his removal from the Union Cabinet over the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the Centre is unlikely to take any action against MoS Home Ajay Misra Teni, said a BJP source to the media. 

According to a source told NDTV, "A father cannot be punished for the actions of his son." The party's senior leadership is not in favour of precipitate action against Mr Mishra, and that he will not, at this time, be removed from the Council of Ministers, added the source.

BJP source pointed out the right doings of the Union Ministers and Senior BJP Leaders, the Lakhimpur Kheri case is sub judice (being heard in court) and that the SIT had yet to file its final report.

Party sources did, however, admit that Mr Mishra's shocking outburst at journalists yesterday (at Lakhimpur Kheri, in fact) was "wrong". The minister had been cautioned, the sources said.

Disturbing visuals came yesterday when Mr Mishra was inaugurating an oxygen plant in Lakhimpur Kheri, the BJP Minister was caught lunging at a reporter who asked him about the charges against his son. Mr Mishra was also seen throwing abuses at the media.

Mr Mishra has been under pressure since his son, Ashish Mishra, was accused and arrested for the death of four farmers in Uttar Pradesh's Lakhimpur Kheri in October.

The minister - who has refused to submit to that pressure - clocked into his office in Delhi's North Block this morning, even as Congress MP Rahul Gandhi branded him a "criminal" and demanded he quit.

Cong. leader Rahul and other opposition MPs were relentless in demanding the minister's sacking yesterday too, with the Congress leader accusing the government of shielding him.

Demands for Mr Mishra's resignation, or sacking, have intensified since the Special Investigation Team (SIT) handling the case said the killing of the farmers was a "planned conspiracy".