After being re-elected the national president of the Samajwadi Party for the ninth consecutive term on the opening day of the party’s convention, Mulayam Singh Yadav cautioned the senior leaders and the ministers in the Akhilesh Yadav Government that they were losing connect with the masses and it was a worrying sign.
“I have reports that leaders are losing connect with the masses. I know some leaders are working for their personal gains, ignoring the interests of the common man. People have told me about this. Some have written letters to me. I have told you time and again not to ignore people’s problems because it is this ‘janata’ which does not hesitate to teach you a lesson,” Yadav told party leaders during his address on the first day of the national executive meeting of the party that began at Janeshwar Mishra park here.
He was more critical of the ministers in the Akhilesh Yadav Government. “I had earlier warned a few ministers but they are yet to mend their ways. These ministers are working for personal gains and this is not only my view but many party workers also feel the same. They (ministers) have lost contact with the masses and if they lose election, it would be a big shame,” he said.
“If a legislator loses election, it does not affect the party but if a minister loses poll, it hurts. It shows that the said minister had not worked for the welfare of the people. It is unfortunate if a minister does not have a good image,” he said.
Yadav said that he would again summon the “identified” ministers and talk to them about the complaints against them.
In his nearly 45-minute-long speech, Yadav said that the present SP Government was working for the welfare of the people but it was unfortunate that the party was unable to sell its good points.
“The last lok Sabha election result was an eye-opener. The Bharatiya Janata Party won 73 seats because it was able to sell lies while the Samajwadi Party, whose Government is working day in and day out for the welfare of the people, was reduced to five seats. In lok Sabha, people said only family members won the election. We should ponder over it as to why did it happen,” he said.
Hitting out at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Yadav said that the National Democratic Alliance Government had failed to fulfill its promises.
“During election campaign, (Narendra) Modi had said that he would give employment to youth, bring down inflation and curb corruption. Nothing has happened in these four months. The Samajwadi Party Government has fulfilled all the promises the party had made to people in the very first year of its rule,” he said.
“The people should realise which party is better,” he said and asked the youth to unite and counter the evil designs of some forces that were trying to divide society.
The convention was inaugurated with hoisting of party flag followed by the unveiling of a 25-foot statue of SP stalwart Janeshwar Mishra. About 15,000 party leaders and workers are attending the convention.