SP Chief Levels Serious Corruption Allegations Against Ruling Party
Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party government in Uttar Pradesh on Monday, accusing them of widespread corruption involving religious symbols and development projects. The former chief minister specifically highlighted alleged financial irregularities in programs related to the holy river Ganga and cow protection initiatives.
Corruption Charges in Religious and Development Projects
Akhilesh Yadav claimed that corruption has reached unprecedented levels across all departments under the current BJP administration. In an official statement released on Monday, he asserted that commission-based corruption has become standard practice from the Jal Jeevan Mission to the police department. The SP leader particularly emphasized what he described as "loot in the name of river Ganga and sacred gau mata."
The former UP CM drew parallels between corruption in cow protection schemes and the alleged misappropriation of thousands of crores of rupees in the Namami Gange project. He stated that both forms of corruption are equally condemnable and represent a betrayal of public trust in schemes that carry religious and cultural significance for millions of Indians.
Whistleblowers Targeted with False Cases
Yadav further alleged that the situation has deteriorated to the extent that individuals attempting to expose corruption are being silenced through legal harassment. He referenced a specific incident in Lalitpur where a whistleblower trying to expose poor conditions and corruption at a gaushala faced serious consequences.
According to the SP chief, the individual was first chased by women at the facility and later faced criminal charges under the SC ST Act. Yadav described this pattern as "the pot calling the kettle black" and accused the BJP government of using state machinery to suppress corruption revelations while simultaneously engaging in corrupt practices.
Land Acquisition and Electoral Concerns
The opposition leader also raised concerns about land acquisition practices in religious cities. He alleged that farmers' lands and traders' shops were acquired at throwaway prices only to be handed over to corporate entities favored by the ruling party. Specific mentions were made of Ayodhya farmers and Varanasi's Dalmandi area traders being affected by these practices.
In a related development, the Samajwadi Party submitted a detailed memorandum to the Election Commission of India highlighting several anomalies in the Special Intensive Revision process of voter lists. The seven-page document cited:
- Bulk names missing from 2003 SIR voter list
- Booth level officers issuing single-page forms instead of mandatory duplicates
- Technical malfunctions in BLO applications
- QR codes on SIR forms failing to link with voter databases
Party state president Shyam Lal Pal sought immediate resolution of these issues to ensure accurate voter list compilation ahead of upcoming elections. The twin developments represent significant political challenges for the ruling party in India's most populous state.
