BJP chief Amit Shah on Friday asked Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and Congress Vice-President Rahul Gandhi to explain why Uttar Pradesh ' title=' Uttar Pradesh '>Uttar Pradesh in Uttar Pradesh ' title=' Uttar Pradesh '>Uttar Pradesh is "in shambles".

Shah suspended his 1.5-km 'padyatra' (march) in Meerut on Friday in view of a trader's killing.

Referring to the killing, the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) President said that lawlessness prevailed in the entire state.

Attacking the poll alliance between the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Congress, the BJP leader dubbed Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi as "princes out to destroy the state".

Shah claimed that traders, doctors and other innocent people were being killed in the state while the Samajwadi Party government seemed to be looking the other way.

"This alliance is nothing but coming together of two leaders - one who has plundered the state and the other who has looted the country," Shah said.

He came down heavily on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and said the time had come for the people of Uttar Pradesh ' title=' Uttar Pradesh '>Uttar Pradesh to give a decisive mandate to the BJP to usher in good governance.