BY KULDEEP SINGH YADAV
Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav today at a press conference formally welcomed new members Junaid into the party while launching a strong attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party led government over economic mismanagement and law and order failures. He inducted a political figure from Kanpur Dehat who had contested the previous elections and drawn significant local support, stating that earlier persuasion could have secured an additional MLA seat for the party.
Akhilesh also welcomed Mayank Dwivedi from Banda district along with Nand Kishore and Jitendra Kumar Gupta, the Chairman of Shravasti, all of whom had quit the BJP. He thanked them for joining and recalled remarks by the Shravasti leader about the development achieved under previous Samajwadi Party rule compared to the slower progress visible now. He accused the government of presenting fabricated employment data to mislead the public even as the Indian rupee continues to depreciate against the US dollar and inflation hits ordinary households hard.
Akhilesh Yadav reminded those who once questioned the dollar’s trajectory to examine the current gap between the rupee and the dollar. Essential commodities, diesel, petrol, fertilizers and pesticides have all become expensive, he said, while ethanol blending into petrol under the E20 policy reduces vehicle mileage and raises maintenance costs without offering relief to common people. Advertisements fill newspapers claiming massive job creation and investment, including promotions related to potatoes, yet real employment remains scarce and farmers receive little actual benefit from announced support schemes.
Turning to law and order, Akhilesh pointed to the registration of a case against the brother of former Samajwadi Party MLA Jagwa Jagram Paswan merely for sharing a video. He warned that if the present government continues, ordinary citizens could face similar treatment. He described how a student union programme in Rae Bareli was disrupted by alleged BJP goons, forcing party workers and students into confrontation while the administration responded with insults rather than protection. Party MP Pappu Nishad faced humiliation when his car was vandalized and supporters were mistreated, narrowly escaping greater harm due to inadequate security arrangements.
Akhilesh argued that supporters of the PDA sections face pressure, intimidation, threats and false cases, while the government spends thousands of crores on negative propaganda through content creators. On agricultural concerns, he challenged journalists to verify official figures on potato production, budget allocations and purchases, insisting that farmers have not received meaningful support despite government claims. He recalled that the Jawaharpur Thermal Plant with its two 660 MW units was established during the Samajwadi Party tenure and delivered affordable electricity, yet no new units have been added in a decade.
Looking ahead, Akhilesh spoke of development plans for Etah and Kasganj that would feature in the forthcoming manifesto, including better markets for chicory growers so that profits reach farmers, promotion of dairy activities, and continuation of past measures such as loan relief. He questioned why elections cannot be held in Uttar Pradesh when they take place elsewhere under BJP governments, stressing that the people deserve answers on rising prices of potatoes and onions and broader failures of governance. The press conference underscored the Samajwadi Party’s intent to highlight these issues as it prepares for the next electoral battle.
