With success in both the recent by-polls for the State Assembly as well as in Rajya Sabha elections, Akhilesh Yadav government is all set to celebrate its third anniversary on Sunday. The political agenda of the ruling Samajwadi Party drifting a major change pro-to the major community, after the 2014 lok Sabha drubbing.
With an aim to target the 2017 assembly polls, and taking a lesson from the last lok Sabha polls to counter the BJP’s Hindutav agenda, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is planning to shed the pro-Muslim image of Samajwadi Party by introducing a series of schemes meant to benefit the Hindu community just to ensure that his Party would continue in the Office for the second term.
The CM has now given focus on development particularly in the infrastructure with launching lucknow Metro, lucknow, Agra Expressway and other projects of roads, hospitals, IT cities, industrial hubs and affordable housing schemes. But the Opposition have termed the three year term of the Samajwadi Party government as failure and they claim no development took place while law and order is very bad.
BSP, BJP, Congress and RlD leaders in one voice criticise the state government for its failure to tame crime and criminals while development too lagging behind. Though during the past one year particuarly after the lok Sabha polls, SP government had suspended the unemployment allowances, free laptops to students passing 12th board , Kanya Vidya Dhan along with Hamari Beti, Uska kal. But from the next fiscal the government re-introduced laptops and kanya Vidya dhan only for the meritorious students.
During the past one year, UP has become the only state in the country to provide social security to 45 lakh families by giving them Rs 500 per month pension under Samajwadi Pension scheme. But the main thrust has been given to the schemes related to the major community which include state sponsored pilgrimage of Hindus, development of Hindu religious sites and temples, planting holy Parijat trees around the 84-Kosi Yatra in Ayodhya, laying foundation stone of the world’s tallest temple in Mathura, bhajan sandhya and theatre for pilgrims in Ayodhya, Rudra Kund in Mathura among several other projects.
State government’s most popular project ‘Samajwadi Shrawan Yatra scheme’, which is a state funded pilgrimage for Hindus, was launched juston Saturday, on the eve of the third anniversary by the CM with 1,044 elderly pilgrims of the Hindu community being taken to Hardwar at the state government’s cost. The pilgrimage will be absolutely free with all District Magistrates being instructed to ensure that senior citizens from their districts reach lucknow by bus after proper breakfast. They will be taken to two holy cities in a special train booked by IRCTC. local conveyance, fooding and lodging expenses will be borne by the government’s religious affairs department. A medical team, security personnel and seven government officials will also accompany these pilgrims.
Earlier, Akhilesh had announced a cash incentive to Hindus of Uttar Pradesh for successfully completing the Kailash Mansarovar Yatra. In 2013, a cash assistance of Rs 25,000 each was given to 45 such pilgrims and in 2014 the cash incentive was hiked to Rs 50,000.The Akhilesh Yadav government has been receiving applications from Hindus of Gujarat to consider them for cash assistance to visit Kailash Mansarovar. The grant approximately covers half the expenses of Kailash Mansarovar yatra.
The Department of Religious Affairs has also decided to take over the reins of the renowned Vindhyavasini temple in Mirzapur to save the devotees from being fleeced by local pandas (priests). There are several other schemes to woo the majority community voters launched by the state government. SP won just five seats in the lok Sabha polls while BJP with its Hindutava agenda captured a record 73 seats out if the total 80. Akhikesh Yadav took the charge of the state on March 15, 2012.