Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said that if the Congress vowed to fight against the Bharatiya Janata Party in the Lok Sabha elections in Uttar Pradesh, it should support the SP-BSP alliance.
Akhilesh was responding to a question whether Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s entry in politics was indeed a masterstroke of the Congress.
The SP chief’s remarks assume significance in the light of Congress president Rahul Gandhi’s comment that he had due regard and respect for both Akhilesh and Mayawati and there was no animosity against them.
Rahul had also said that his party would not play on the back foot and instead play on the front foot, be it Gujarat or Uttar Pradesh.
Asked about Priyanka Gandhi Vadra’s appointment as in-charge of east UP, Akhilesh said, “I welcome her entry in active politics. Youth should join active politics for the making of a new India.”
On Yogi Adityanath government’s decision to hold Cabinet meeting in Kumbh Mela Area in Prayagraj, the SP chief reminded the BJP of the connection of Kumbh to Kannauj, the Lok Sabha constituency represented by his wife Dimple Yadav.
“It was Emperor Harsh Vardhan, whose capital was in Kannauj, who started the tradition of ‘daan’ in Kumbh. He used to go there and give ‘daan’ (alms). If the BJP government is serious about development of the state, it should tell what it has done on its own, except inaugurating schemes launched during my (SP) regime,” he said.
Akhilesh, who took a holy dip in Sangam in Prayagraj, said that during his regime Kumbh Mela arrangements were made that too by Muslim leaders and officers.
“People come to Kumbh driven by their faith. In our tenure, Urban Development Minister Mohammad Azam Khan, Health Minister Ahmad Hasan and Chief Secretary Javed Usmani made the best of arrangements. The SP believes in uniting people unlike the BJP, which is dividing society on communal lines,” he said.
Asked about Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remark that his government could resolve the Ram temple issue within 24 hours, Akhilesh said, “Pehle kisano ko agle 90 dino me ‘saand’ se bacha lein jo fasal chaupat kar rahe hain” (He should first save farmers in the next 90 days from the onslaught of stray bulls, which are ruining crops).
Yogi had last week said that the Supreme Court must work towards an early resolution of Ram temple case and if there was unnecessary delay, institutions may lose people’s trust. He asked the court to give its verdict soon, and if it was unable to do so, it should hand over the issue to the BJP which would resolve the Ram Janmabhoomi dispute within 24 hours.
Akhilesh said, “If such a statement is given by a Chief Minister on Republic Day, one can imagine what kind of Chief Minister he must be.”
Promising to make caste data available if voted to power, the SP chief said, “If we come to power, we will reveal caste data. Without knowing the caste data, development schemes cannot be formulated accurately.”