Thirty-seven MPs from 12 parties, including Congress and Akali Dal, have endorsed a letter to Rajya Sabha Chairman M Venkaiah Naidu against the Uttar Pradesh government, which has slapped at least 13 FIRs, including on sedition charges, on AAP leader Sanjay Singh.
In his letter, Singh said he has been raising his voice against the UP government's mismanagement of the Covid-19 pandemic, encounter killings and rising unemployment among other issues.
He said 13 FIRs had been filed against him from different parts of the state after he raised the issues. On Thursday, he said, an FIR was filed slapping sedition charges against him.
Singh asked Naidu to conduct a probe and find out whether he was guilty or not. "If I am found guilty, jail me," he said.
The letter was endorsed by MPs from Congress, DMK, Trinamool Congress, Samajwadi Party, RJD, Akali Dal, NCP, CPI(M), CPI, TRS, TDP and AAP.
Later at a press conference, Singh said he was ready for court arrest if raising people's issues meant sedition to the UP government. He said he will appear before Lucknow Police on September 20.
“The Yogi government filed a sedition case against me because I raised my voice on the violence and atrocities against Brahmins and Dalits and rampant corruption in purchase of Covid-19 kits in the times of a pandemic," he claimed.
"You must have heard several stories about the abuse of political power. I want to apprise you that the UP government under Yogi Adityanath has now filed a sedition case against me. I have given my whole life for the welfare of people but today the UP government is claiming that I am an anti-national. The Yogi government has filed 13 FIRs against me in the last three months. They have not filed 13 FIRs against any of the UP mafia in this period, but they have filed these FIRs against me," he said.
He said he has asked the Rajya Sabha Chairman that he should be behind the bars if he is an anti-national.
"On September 20 I will join the Rajya Sabha and from there I will travel to Lucknow to surrender. I know that the Yogi government will arrest me on September 20. I want to tell the people of UP that whatever intimidation comes from the Yogi government I will not stop raising my voice against injustice," he added.