BY MOHAMMAD TARIQUE SALEEM
Samajwadi Party national president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the BJP government and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath during a press conference at the party office on Saturday. From the controversy surrounding bulletproof jackets to inflation, political alliances, PDA and the condition of education in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav took on the government on a wide range of issues.
Responding to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s recent remarks linking the letter “P” in PDA with Pakistan, Akhilesh Yadav hit back with his own political wordplay. He said that if the BJP could interpret the “P” in PDA as Pakistan, then BJP could also be expanded as “Bhag Jao Pakistan” or “Run Away to Pakistan.”
Akhilesh Yadav said PDA represents “Prem, Daya aur Apnapan”, meaning love, compassion and a sense of belonging. According to him, the BJP is increasingly worried about the growing acceptance of the PDA idea among people. He said the Samajwadi Party would continue its politics of bringing people together through love, compassion and mutual belonging and would eventually form a historic government.
Taking on the BJP’s frequent criticism of dynastic politics, Akhilesh Yadav made an unusual argument about why the Samajwadi Party had remained united while several other parties had suffered splits. He said there were five MPs from the same family in the party, along with several Muslim MPs and committed socialist leaders.
“Have you ever wondered why the Samajwadi Party did not split when so many other political parties broke apart?” he asked, adding that sometimes family ties and dynastic politics could also help keep a party united. On the controversy over bulletproof jackets, Akhilesh Yadav said he had not received one. “If I receive a bulletproof jacket, I will definitely tell you. Nothing can be expected from them,” he remarked.
He also raised questions about the poor condition of the vehicles provided for his security. According to him, the vehicles were in such bad shape that if leaders and security personnel had travelled in them, they would have been forced to use separate vehicles. The issue arose after the Uttar Pradesh government said on Friday that bulletproof jackets had been provided to 52 leaders, including Akhilesh Yadav and BSP chief Mayawati, besides 11 Cabinet ministers.
Reacting to Mayawati’s allegation that the Samajwadi Party had a history of breaking alliances, Akhilesh Yadav rejected the charge. “The SP never breaks alliances. We do not leave anyone; people leave us,” he said. He appealed to political parties to stop making the Samajwadi Party their main target and instead raise questions concerning the performance of both the state and central governments.
Akhilesh Yadav also made serious allegations against former Meerut SSP Avinash Pandey, claiming that SP leaders Digvijay Bhati and Mohit Jatav were beaten because of their Dalit and Gurjar identities. Turning to education, he alleged that schools were being closed in a manner that would deprive children from PDA families of access to quality education. He said that if the Samajwadi Party returned to power, strengthening the state’s primary education system would be among its priorities.
The SP chief also took a swipe at the BJP over its alliance with Jayant Chaudhary’s Rashtriya Lok Dal. Recalling that the Samajwadi Party had earlier given the RLD 30 seats, Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP should now give Jayant Chaudhary’s party four times that number, or 120 seats. “If they do not give 120 seats, it will be a grave insult to the legacy of Chaudhary Charan Singh and Ajit Singh,” he said, adding that the Samajwadi Party would pass a resolution condemning such a move.
Akhilesh Yadav also used sarcasm to question the Uttar Pradesh government’s ambition of building a one-trillion-dollar economy. He said the government appeared to believe that purchasing cow urine would somehow help achieve the target. On the issue of ethanol-blended petrol, he questioned who was actually benefiting from the profits generated by ethanol mixing.
He said the government should publicly advertise the company involved in mixing ethanol with petrol. Questioning the government’s claim that per capita income had increased two-and-a-half times, Akhilesh Yadav asked what the actual per capita income was for the 15 crore people who were still receiving free food rations. He also pointed to what he described as a contradiction in the government’s position on financial assistance.
When the Samajwadi Party had promised ₹40,000, the BJP had asked where the money would come from, he said. “Now the same government is promising ₹50,000,” Akhilesh Yadav remarked. Through his remarks, Akhilesh Yadav sought to put the BJP government on the defensive, mixing political criticism with sarcasm and sharp counterattacks as he raised questions about governance, education, security, economic claims and political alliances in Uttar Pradesh.
