Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday accused the chief minister of whataboutery and the ruling BJP of rampant corruption, stating that the people of Uttar Pradesh are reeling under acute crises of basic needs. He said housewives are grappling with kitchen budgets due to rising prices of essential commodities, residents are struggling with prolonged power cuts, youth are fighting rising unemployment, and farmers are battling fertilizer shortages.
Akhilesh's remarks on government failures
“Mukhya mantriji bayanveer ban gaye hain... (Respected chief minister indulges in whataboutery),” Akhilesh said, adding that people’s woes are not being heard anywhere, be it tehsils or district collectorates. The SP chief elaborated that every section of society is facing the impact of government failures. “Skyrocketing prices of essential commodities, rising unemployment coupled with paper leaks of competitive and recruitment exams, rampant anomalies in results, and farmers not getting the right price for their crops while grappling with shortages of fertilizers and seeds – everyone is struggling to survive with no one to address their woes,” he said.
Power cuts and BJP's record
Akhilesh said the latest failure is prolonged power cuts that have troubled the common man most due to rising summer temperatures. “This is because the BJP has not set up a single power-producing unit in the past nine years in UP. They have not added a single unit to the power capacity created by the SP government,” he claimed.
Democracy and law and order
Accusing the BJP government of destroying the sanctity of democracy, Akhilesh said it seems the keys of the chief minister’s bulldozers have landed with criminals who are striking at will. “In Pratapgarh, musclemen forcibly demolished a house and a shop right next to a police outpost, which was shameful. Police stood mute witness when the SP delegation heading to meet the victim Vishwakarma family of Unnao was attacked. This shows the BJP government does not spare those who raise their voice for justice,” he said.
High court on bureaucrat
Akhilesh also said the Allahabad High Court has called out one of the chief minister’s blue-eyed bureaucrats, highlighting his professional incompetence as a reflection of the state of affairs. “I am told that not only has the professional conduct of the bureaucrat been penalized by the high court, but suspicion has also been raised over his competence in handling important issues, as well as the Department of Personnel and Training and the Appointment Committee of the Cabinet,” he said. He added that such issues arise when civil servants try to act as the government, resulting in arrogance that disrespects judicial process and authority. “When teachers are being asked to reappear in examinations to prove their competence, why should the same rule not apply to administrative officials?” he asked.
