Akhilesh Yadav Challenges Yogi Adityanath's Naxalism Allegations in Noida Workers' Protest
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday strongly criticized Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for suggesting that recent workers' protests in Noida might be an attempt to reignite Naxal sentiments. Yadav asserted that the government's focus on a conspiracy angle raises serious questions about the capabilities of the state police's intelligence network.
Intelligence Failure Questioned
"If the honourable chief minister is calling the workers' protest in Noida a conspiracy, then the question arises as to what the intelligence wing of the state police was doing all this while," Akhilesh Yadav stated emphatically. He further questioned whether police officials were preoccupied with political campaigning rather than their core duties, asking, "If this charge is true, then were the sleuths busy accompanying you to West Bengal to campaign for elections or doing chores other than policing?"
Government Neglect of Workers' Demands
Yadav argued that before discrediting the protests by linking them to Naxalism, the government must explain its own failures over the past decade that have driven workers to their current desperate situation. "If you can't give relief to workers, don't rub salt on their wounds," he cautioned, highlighting the government's responsibility toward labor welfare.
The Samajwadi Party leader described the protest as a direct result of the BJP government's pro-capitalist policies, with laborers demanding wage revisions in line with neighboring states where such adjustments have already been implemented. "Injustice is being meted out to people through uncontrolled price rise," he noted, pointing to recent incidents where vehicles were torched and police had to retreat from protest scenes.
Economic Hardships and Political Criticism
Akhilesh Yadav connected the workers' plight to broader economic issues, stating that "rising prices of essential commodities due to rampant practice of BJP men charging commission has already hit the poor workers hard." He warned that heaping allegations of Naxalism and conspiracy on these struggling workers could only exacerbate an already tense situation.
The former chief minister emphasized that protesting workers had been demanding wage revisions for an extended period, but the government had consistently ignored their pleas. "The government's fault is that the demands of workers were not addressed in time," he declared, questioning why Uttar Pradesh hasn't followed other states in increasing wages for laborers.
Broader Political Implications
Yadav framed the Noida protests as symptomatic of BJP policies that he claims favor capitalists and industrialists while exploiting daily wagers and salaried workers. "BJP ensures that ATMs of capitalists and industrialists who give donations have money but the ATMs of labourers and workers have no cash to dispense," he asserted, painting a picture of economic disparity.
Concluding his remarks, Akhilesh Yadav appealed to basic human understanding, stating that "only a family man can understand the struggle of making the two ends meet for himself," positioning himself as more attuned to common workers' realities than the current administration.
