Speaking to rediff.com Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi, one of the vice presidents of the party, said that the law and order situation in Uttar Pradesh had been deteriorating for last six months so rapidly that it seemed that the state government was engineering communal tension in order for its electoral gains.

"The blast in Varanasi has brought to the fore the real situation. We in the BJP demand that government of Mulayam Singh Yadav should be dismissed forthwith and the state should be placed under the President's rule," Naqvi said.

He pointed out that the recent developments have given credence to Agra [Images] MP Raj Babbar's allegations that the goonda elements were ruling the roost. He recalled how various incidents in the state have added to the communal tension.