The Congress termed action against the Ministers by Akhilesh Yadav as nothing but a ‘cosmetic exercise’ to fool the public. The party believed that people are now intelligent enough and would punish the Samajwadi Party by pushing them out of the power in the next Assembly elections.
“Mulayam Singh Yadav has been raising fingers on his son Akhilesh Yadav’s ministerial colleagues, over their non-performance now almost for last three years so the move of the Chief Minister is nothing but a cosmetic exercise and that too very late”, claimed State president of Congress, Nirmal Khatri.
Reacting to Chief Minister’s decision on removing some of his Cabinet colleagues besides taking portfolios of some of the Ministers under the revamp exercise, Khatri said that though it is prerogative of the Chief Minister to select his council of Ministers, but the manner in which he still left some of the most tainted of his Cabinet colleagues, particularly Mining Minister Gyatri Prajapati, pointed that Akhilesh Yadav was not serious on changing the real face of his Government but just making efforts to give it a new look. “It would be turned out same wine in new bottle”, the Congress former MP asserted.
Further attacking Chief Minister, Congress State president said that it seems that Akhilesh Yadav is not keen to punish the corrupt Ministers but the revamp exercise has been carried out just to further maintain ‘caste balance’ in the State Cabinet. “The main thrust of Akhilesh Yadav is to give more representation to the caste in his Cabinet who constitutes a good percentage of vote bank”, charged Khatri adding that it would not change the fortune of SP which is all set to be kicked out of power in the next Assembly elections.
Akhilesh Yadav sacked eight Ministers and stripped nine others of their portfolios ahead of Saturday’s Cabinet reshuffle, an exercise aimed at refurbishing the image of his Government. Of the eight Ministers dropped, five are Cabinet ministers and three Ministers of State (MoS).
Meanwhile Congress spokesman, RP Singh said that to observe death anniversary of former Prime Minister Indira Gandhi along with the birth anniversary of ‘Ironman’ Sardar Ballabh Bhai Patel, the Party leaders and workers would take out ‘silent march’ in all the districts including lucknow to spread the message of communal harmony. He said that the above decision was taken by State president just after finding that the ruling Samajwadi Party and that of Bharatiya Janta Party’s Government in the Centre, both had joined hands to fuel communal hatred in the State just to polarise the vote-bank.
Besides, Congress activists will also stage dharnas all over the State on November 2 in protest against the Centre’s failure to check price rise of essential commodities. On the directives of the Khatri, district and city units of the Party will hold protest dharnas at all district headquarters against the Central Government, a party spokesman said.
“The farmers are already facing severe drought, and the spiralling prices of onion, pulses and other essential commodities has increased their problems manifold”, the spokesman said.