Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday launched a sharp critique of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government in Uttar Pradesh, questioning the need for a discussion on 'Vande Mataram' in the state assembly. He asserted that his party's legislators would instead vociferously raise pressing public issues like the codeine cough syrup drug racket, gross neglect of farmers, rising unemployment, and spiralling prices during the upcoming winter session.
Deflecting Real Issues: Drug Racket and Farmer Distress
Akhilesh Yadav accused the BJP of hiding behind symbolic debates to avoid answering tough questions. "BJP knows it does not have answers to the codeine cough syrup drug racket and the government's gross neglect of farmers resulting in an acute shortage of fertilizers one season after another," he stated at a press conference at the SP office in Lucknow. He listed deteriorating law and order and price rise of essential commodities as other issues where the government would be left speechless.
"The BJP government wants to run away from these questions and hide behind issues like a discussion on Vande Mataram," Akhilesh said. Taking a personal dig, he added, "People who never hoisted a tricolour and never recited Vande Mataram neither before Independence nor afterwards, want to discuss it in the assembly. Why? People can see through this."
Allegations of Bulldozer Bias and Police Complicity
The former Chief Minister made serious allegations regarding the handling of the codeine syrup scandal. He claimed the racket, initially estimated at a few hundred crores, was now worth thousands of crores. He questioned the silence of the state government's iconic 'bulldozer' action in this case.
"UP chief minister's favourite toy – the bulldozer -- is silent because people of a particular caste are involved," Akhilesh alleged. He further claimed that of the 24 instances where bulldozer action was taken, 22 targeted individuals from the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) communities, implying the tool was reserved for political opponents. He also alleged that the prime accused in the drug racket, who hails from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's parliamentary constituency Varanasi, was helped to escape by the state police. "In the double engine government, one engine is helping the accused and the other engine is after the accused," he quipped.
Questions on Electoral Roll Revision and Voter Deletion
Akhilesh Yadav also raised concerns about the ongoing Summary Revision of electoral rolls (SIR). Citing Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's reported statement that 4 crore votes will be deleted in the state, Akhilesh demanded to know how the CM had this information before the Election Commission's data release.
"SIR data has not been made public. Our information is that BJP leaders, MLAs, and a private firm are spending nights screening electoral rolls to ensure names of their voters are not struck," he alleged. "The CM is visiting districts and whispering in the ears of officials to delete names of people who vote for SP."
He presented a calculation, stating that if the CM's claim of 4 crore deletions was true, it meant the BJP had lost 85,000 voters per constituency across UP's 403 seats, which would ensure their defeat. Conversely, he claimed that securing an additional 40,000 voters per constituency would guarantee an SP victory.
The SP chief's press conference sets the stage for a contentious winter session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, with the opposition ready to corner the government on issues of governance, alleged scandals, and electoral integrity.
