Don-turned-politico and five-time MlA from Rae Bareli Sadar, Akhilesh Singh came to the rescue of his underworld colleague Atiq Ahmad, asking how can a former Member of Parliament (MP) be termed a ‘gangster’. “How can you call a former MP a criminal,” said Singh while replying to a media querry on whether he thinks that the Samajwadi Party had given ticket to a criminal.
Flanked by his daughter Aditi Singh, Akhilesh told the media during an interaction at lucknow Press Club that Aditi has recently joined Congress and is set to contest from his pocket burrough Rae Bareli Sadar seat.
“leaders had started losing their morality since Independence. Now a days, politicians have no morale values and so it is of no use to brand anyone a criminal,” he said.
“Unless a leader works for the masses and stand by them, he can not win an election. After winning so many times, how can Atiq or I can still be branded a criminal,” he said by way of questioning.
When asked whether goons supported by Shivpal Yadav had hit the development agenda of Akhilesh Yadav, Singh refused to comment but added that Akhilesh was doing good work. Interestingly, Singh also hit out at the Congress claiming that if instead of leaders, the party is banking on businessman like Prashant Kishore aka ‘PK’ and the end of the grand old party of Indian polity is near.
Predicting a hung Assembly, Singh said that the SP, BSP and BJP are on `mute’ mode and were still to switch on to election mode while the Congress never looks to be in the contention in the next elections.
When asked that if he was against Congress, then why did he support his daughter to join the party, Singh said that he has always given freedom to his children. “Since Aditi had a liking for the Congress so she i free to work with the party while I am free to work as per my will,” he said.
Singh claimed that he was not keeping good health and so he left the seat for Aditi but was looking forward to becoming an MP in Rajya Sabha sometime in future.
On her part, Aditi Singh cautioned youths asking them not to blindly believe messages sent on social sites and instead cross-check their veracity.
Aditi said that she supported PM Modi’s ‘Swachch Bharat Abhiyan’ which is aimed at ending open defecation but said that the scheme could not succeed.
``The government had provided toilets in rural areas. But in my area, they neither provided water nor connected them to septic tankss and is hence of no use,” she pointed out.
When asked that despite being a Congress member, she was supporting Modi’s program, Aditi said that such drives were also run during UPA regimes but with different name. “ Such civic schemes should not be linked or seen with any party but as a mission to make the country neat and clean,” she said.
When asked what influenced her to join Congress, Aditi said, ``I spoke to Priyanka Vadra and found that she was above caste or religion or politics of division. She is only concerned about how to get development and ensure peace in the society. That struck me and here I am,” said Aditi frankly
“I too favour secular values and development schemes should not be caste or religion based but meant for welfare of the entire society, especially the poor and down-trodden,” she said.