Lucknow: Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday claimed that growing resentment among people in Uttar Pradesh's villages against the BJP's misrule has led to a delay in panchayat polls. During his visit to Kasganj, he said farmers were the worst hit by price rise, shortage of fertilizers and seeds, and insufficient power supply for irrigation.
Farmers' Anger Against BJP
"People in villages are waiting to teach the BJP a lesson. Farmers are angry over shortage of fertilizer, seeds and power failures affecting irrigation. Farmers are not getting diesel and petrol has become costlier. The BJP got smart meters installed in villages to rob people. The BJP cannot dare to enter villages as it is aware of resentment. As a result, the BJP is nervous about holding panchayat polls," Akhilesh said responding to a specific media query. He said people have dismissed the 'one nation, one election' move of the BJP.
BJP's Failure on Farmers' Issues
Earlier, addressing party workers and locals at Soron Gate area in Kasganj, Akhilesh said that BJP perhaps was the only political party which had done nothing for the farmers. "They did not open a single mandi," Akhilesh said, adding that BJP had promised to double the income of farmers but had actually reduced their income to less than half. Akhilesh recalled how the quantity of fertilizers was reduced in bags and how shortage of fertilizers and seeds had hit the farmers.
Concerns Over Election Integrity
Talking about Special Intensive Revision (SIR), Akhilesh said everyone has seen what BJP has done in the name of SIR in Bihar and how elections were held there. "If they manage to repeat their Bihar template in UP polls, there will be no elections held ever thereafter," Akhilesh said. He called upon the SP cadre to reach out to every household in villages and cities to rope in voters and their votes.
PDA Call and Caste Census
Akhilesh said SP's PDA call has left the BJP terrified. "The BJP is so nervous about the growing unity of the PDA community that they have even started talking about caste census," he added.
CM's Identity Before 2017
Hitting back at chief minister Yogi Adityanath for his claims that Uttar Pradesh and its youth had 'no identity' of their own before 2017, Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said the chief minister himself did not have an identity of his own before 2017. "I often wonder why the chief minister keeps on repeating that Uttar Pradesh had no distinct identity of its own before 2017. The truth is that the CM had no identity (of his own) before 2017. The person who himself has got his identity after 2017 is talking about the state's identity," Akhilesh said talking to the media in Kasganj.
Blended Petrol Issue
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said that the BJP government was supplying blended petrol which was leading to damage to engines and increased cost of maintenance of vehicles.
