Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, on Wednesday, attacked the Yogi Adityanath government for allowing the sale of liquor at railway and metro stations, saying there was a ‘deep relation’ between alcohol consumption and crime.

Yadav said if the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party believed that alcohol consumption was “so good”, it should start selling liquor from its offices.

In a cabinet meeting held on Tuesday, the Uttar Pradesh government, under the Excise Policy for 2024-25, allowed the sale of liquor at airports, metro, railway stations and cruise ships.

In a post on X, Yadav said, “Is this the only way left for the Uttar Pradesh government to become a USD 1-trillion economy? It means that all the claims of investment worth crores of rupees are false and this is why the government is adopting such unethical means to earn revenue. Today liquor is being sold, tomorrow other intoxicants will be sold in public places.”

“If the BJP thinks liquor consumption is so good then it should start selling it from their offices but not make public places centres of anarchy and crime,” he added.

“Women and children know how alcohol causes violence whether it’s domestic or in public places. Alcohol can also prove fatal for youths. To protest against this decision, the women and youth of Uttar Pradesh will remove the BJP from power,” he said.

“There is a deep relation between alcohol and crime... The government should not ruin families with such decisions,” he added.

In another post on X, Akhilesh Yadav questioned the use of the electronic voting machines (EVMs) in elections, following the incident of fire in Farrukhabad district on Wednesday where 800 EVMs were damaged in fire. He said it was a very serious matter as the fire was caused without short-circuit.

“The cause of the fire is suspicious and the government owes a reply to the people as to what caused the fire that damaged the EVMs a few months before the 2024 Lok Sabha elections,” he said.