LUCKNOW, SEP 19 (PTI): Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed on Saturday that the Election Commission may conduct a review before the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, and urged his party workers to remain vigilant regarding this possibility.
Yadav stated that the BJP is on its last leg and is attempting to amass as much wealth as possible before leaving office. Speaking to reporters at a function held at the party office in Lucknow, where leaders from other political parties joined the SP, Yadav said, “The SP is working continuously to ensure that votes in the SIR are not diluted. However, the Election Commission of India might conspire to conduct another review before the election. We need to be vigilant about this.”
Yadav noted that while the BJP initially wanted to hold early elections, reports from their internal surveys now suggest the polls will take place on schedule. He emphasised the need for constant vigilance to avoid being misled.
In response to a question, Yadav remarked that just as the Election Commission sidelined the state police during the Bengal elections, the state force would likely be excluded in Uttar Pradesh as well.
He claimed that honest officers who have been sidelined for a decade are waiting for their turn, while those who committed injustices are escaping by feigning illness.
Referring to a recent meeting between Union Environment Minister Bhupender Yadav and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath focused on preventing air pollution, Yadav mockingly noted, “I heard there was a meeting regarding the environment to keep the air around Delhi clean. When the BJP is in such a poor state (‘jab BJP ke khud ki hawa kharaab hai’), they hold a meeting to discuss how to purify the air?”
Attacking the BJP, Yadav claimed that every scheme of the party is designed to line their own pockets with money snatched from the poor.
“Don’t you remember what demonetisation was like? It was claimed that corruption would be eradicated, inflation would be controlled, and incidents of terrorism would cease,” he said.
According to Yadav, contrary to the government’s promises, demonetisation led to increased corruption after its implementation.
“There has never been as much loot and corruption under any other government as it is under the BJP government. And now, in the final phase (of the party being in power), they have started amassing wealth, trying to rake in whatever they can before they leave office,” Yadav said.
He further claimed that over the past decade, the BJP has spent thousands of crores on damaging the images of others.
“Perhaps no other political party in the world has allocated as much funding for negative propaganda as the BJP has. They are rattled and, therefore, producing negative content. They are blending ethanol into petrol to keep prices down, which compromises mileage. There are no jobs, and investments exist only on paper. They are presenting false figures,” Yadav said.
In a mocking tone, he said, “I saw such a massive advertisement today that, if you do the math, it seems there is no one left unemployed in UP.”
He also mentioned that members of the Cockroach Janta Party (CJP) visited a library in Noida, which, he claimed, had neither books nor windows, and no benches inside. “It is just a library in name only. You won’t find a library anywhere in the entire state without books. What do you expect from the chief minister?” he remarked.
The CJP on Tuesday inspected a government primary school in Noida under its “School Thik Karo” campaign and highlighted poor maintenance of toilets and other issues. This inspection was met with denial from the district administration, which claimed that schools were not closed following the inspection.
Yadav also referred to the recent attack on SP Lok Sabha MP Pappu Nishad, stating that his vehicle was damaged and he faced humiliation.
“The law and order of the BJP is such that if you belong to their caste (‘sajaatiye’), you will be treated with respect. But if you are not? If you belong to the PDA, you will face humiliation, pressure, intimidation, threats, and be slapped with false cases,” the SP chief said.
Regarding the upcoming elections, Yadav asserted that “we must fight both on the ground and on digital platforms as the battle will take place on both fronts.”
He emphasised the importance of creating content to keep party workers motivated, questioning the source of the ruling party’s videos. Yadav noted that his party’s workers had produced excellent videos that serve as a strong counter to the ruling party’s messaging.
A video made by the party workers taking a dig at the ruling party was also screened during the press conference.
When asked about the Samajwadi Party’s (SP) role in the Delhi University Students’ Union (DUSU) elections, Yadav said, “If elections can be held at Delhi University, where the BJP is in power, then why aren’t student union elections taking place in Uttar Pradesh?”
Several leaders, including Mayank Dwivedi (son of former Banda MLA Purushottam Naresh Dwivedi), Nand Kishore Giri from Shravasti, and Junaid from Kanpur Dehat joined the party along with their supporters.
