Soon after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath again, used a government event to take pot-shots at their rivals ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned the saffron party’s use of non-political platforms for election campaign purposes.
“Has any political party used buses like this in the past? Have any District Collectors written letters asking for buses and people to be arranged like this… these are all political rallies that are happening. Has the BJP managed to hold any actual political rallies till now?” Yadav asked in a press conference in Lucknow.
In a veiled dig at SP, Narendra Modi on Saturday said for some, the priority is to cut ribbons at inauguration, while for “us the priority is completion of projects on time.”
Modi’s remark came in the backdrop of former UP CM Akhilesh Yadav’s claim that it was during his tenure in Uttar Pradesh, and not under the current BJP government, that the major works of the Saryu canal irrigation project were done.
“To complete the Saryu project that was 75 per cent complete at the time of Samajwadi government, the BJP took five years… In 2022, the Samajwadi Party will herald a new era… And the state will reap the benefits of development” Akhilesh said in morning.
“They used to protect mafias. Yogi Ji’s government is wiping them out. That is why the people of UP say ‘fark saaf hai’ (the difference is clear) …. Those in power earlier used to get land encroached, today bulldozers are being used on mafias…” PM Modi said in the inauguration event.
Soon after PM’s remarks, in Lucknow, Akhilesh responded: “Samajwadi Party gave laptops to the youth while BJP carries out lathi-charges on them. SP gave Lohia Awaas to the poor while BJP drove over farmers and killed them in Lakhimpur Kheri. Samajwadi Party believes in development whereas they believe in changing names. Ye ‘fark saaf hai. (This is the difference that’s clear).”
Akhilesh went on to say: “BJP showed dreams that farmers’ income will be doubled by 2022, but where are the farmers with increased incomes? They spend more on advertisements than on projects. Huge hoardings are put that youngsters are getting jobs, where have they given jobs in UP?”
