Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav Monday accused the BJP government of cronyism over its handling of religious infrastructure projects and land acquisition in Uttar Pradesh, asserting that his party would set an example of balanced development if it returns to power.
At a press conference here, he sought to know what the government had done in the past few years to provide resting places, health facilities, and food to kanwariyas.
Asking why the government at the Centre and the state did not build a Kanwariya corridor yet, the former chief minister promised to build a corridor that would not trouble traffic or harm local shopkeepers, and would preserve the heritage and aesthetics of the place.
"Our work has been exemplary. The world has seen our model,” he said, adding that the current administration's development model lacks transparency and inclusivity.
Referring to pollution in rivers, he alleged shutdown of sewage treatment plants and said, "Their (BJP) ministers once jumped into rivers for optics, along with officers and engineers. But the rivers remain filthy. Now we hear that treatment plants are being shut down and untreated sewage is being dumped directly into rivers."
"This is being done quietly so that no records are available and no one can be held accountable," the Samajwadi Party supremo said.
He accused the government of using the excuse of monsoon flows to wash away pollution and avoid scrutiny. "They are just waiting for rainwater to carry away the dirt so that no one can question whether any cleaning was done or not."
Referring to the Vrindavan corridor project in Mathura, Yadav also criticised the BJP for allegedly altering heritage sites in the name of development. "We are not against development. But any development that destroys heritage, aesthetics, and the livelihoods of local artisans and traders must be opposed."
"The Teerth Vikas Parishad was originally started by the Samajwadi government. They just changed the name. But what about the funds spent under that name and by development authorities? There is no public record of it," Yadav said.
He accused BJP leaders of using government projects to benefit their associates. "Contracts are given to their own people, shops are handed over, and donations are extracted. The game of grabbing surrounding lands, buying them at lower rates in the name of compensation and selling them at 10 times the price is an open secret," the SP chief alleged.
Yadav alleged that while local businesses were being forced to shut down and traditional trades were being pushed out, big showrooms were being facilitated. "This is a deliberate attempt to uproot and dominate local livelihoods."
"They have three chief ministerial faces in Uttar Pradesh — one is 'khud mukhtar' (self-declared), one is 'Delhi ke ummedwar" (a candidate of Delhi), and the third is a Sangh's candidate. The Delhi candidate is a victim of both internal politics and rejection from the people," he said without elaborating.
Yadav promised to rehabilitate those displaced by the BJP's "bulldozer politics".
"I have told the people of Akbarnagar, who were displaced after a demolition driver in the area that if we come to power, we will ensure you are resettled right where you were uprooted," the Samajwadi Party supremo said.