Going all out against the party and alliance it is extending a lifeline to at the Centre, the Samajwadi Party (SP) held the Congress responsible for ruining the country. Mulayam Singh Yadav’s party blamed the UPA Government for all the hardships of inflation, fuel prices and the dipping rupee.
At a rally at Morhabadi on Thursday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav instead tried to showcase schemes he has started in that State after coming to power about two years ago. “I expect a Third Front in the days to come. It is also certain that SP will lead from the front and save you from misrule. We have shown this in Uttar Pradesh with several schemes started for girls, students and women,” he said.
While endorsing relevance of the ‘Third Front’, a political alliance of non-Congress and non-BJP parties, the SP leader said it alone can save people from corruption and bad governance.
“They have an economist Prime Minister and are studded with so many knowledgeable Ministers. But why it is that poverty and inflation are out of controlIJ Price of dollar is rising and so is fuel. All of it is because of the Congress. They have ruled for 60 years. It is the Congress and its allies that have ruined this country,” said Yadav. He also criticised the Food Security Bill on its delivery front.
The SP leader recounted freebies given in the form of laptops, saris and bicycles, among others, in Uttar Pradesh to drive home his point. He promised similar schemes for Jharkhand too, provided his party gets a handful of seats in the upcoming lok Sabha and Assembly polls. “I can sense enthusiasm among party workers here. We have been trying for long but have not managed to open ours account here. But in the days to come, the SP will emerge as a big force in Jharkhand,” Akhilesh promised.
“I was in Parliament when Jharkhand was formed. leaders promised so much at that time. Now, you can see Governments formed and toppled by three to four MlAs! I appeal to you to support the SP and the Third Front to end all this,” he said, adding that the special status demand was eyewash. The SP’s rally could gather not more than 1,500 workers in its effort to garner a few lok Sabha seats from the State. This will place Akhilesh in a better position to put its cards on the table after the 2014 poll results.
The SP will finalise candidates at its Agra conference and three to four Jharkhand men too are expected to figure on the list.