Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav criticised the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party on Sunday, alleging that the new citizenship law had been brought in to “divert the attention” from the “virtually destroyed” economy and rising unemployment.
Addressing a press conference here on Sunday, Yadav said people were made to stand in line to withdraw cash during the demonetisation exercise and now they would have to stand in queue for their rights due to National Register of Citizens.
“The economy is in dire straits, has been virtually destroyed, unemployment is at an all-time high. To divert the attention from these issues, the Citizenship (Amendment) Act was enacted,” he told reporters.
“This is a game of the BJP, they have upset the people from North-East to Bengal to Lucknow. People have come out to save the Constitution. Our chief minister is now threatening people openly calling for ‘revenge’. How can you expect the police to be fair when the chief minister is asking them to take revenge?” the SP chief said.
“We have always opposed such black laws and we will always oppose such laws. The govt has failed to bring any investment and now when such an environment is created even the multi-national companies are fleeing from the country,” the SP chief added.
“This is all done to divert the attention of the people. Rioters today are sitting in power. Riots and violence are triggered today to benefit the people sitting in power. If the government is identifying people involved in rioting, then it should also look at the videos in which police are seen damaging public property,” Yadav said.
The SP chief accused the Yogi Adityanath government of instigating riots to divert the attention of the people. He also lashed out at the chief minister, saying Yogi Adityanath was talk of revenge against those involved in the violence during the anti-CAA demonstrations.
Yadav said the chief minister’s statement regarding attachment of the properties of those accused of rioting had caused fear among the common man.
Asserting that the SP would continue its peaceful protests against the citizenship law, the SP chief alleged that the BJP was behind the violence in the state.