Akhilesh says BJP lacks political credibility, lists ‘unmet promises’

Asking the government about the “promise to fill all the vacant posts in police department within a year of coming to power”, Akhilesh said, “ What happened to the promise to give three women police stations in every district and start Shaheed Roshan Singh Residential Township… Has every student got a laptop and free 1GB internet as promised?” He also said that the BJP’s promise to double farmers’ income by 2022 has not been fulfilled.

Saying that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath must have taken a ride on Lucknow Metro, Akhilesh asked if he has been able to construct a Metro rail in his Gorakhpur or in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s constituency, Varanasi. He also targeted the CM, saying he was surprised to see the fund being allocated in the budget to build nala (drain) in Gorakhpur”. “The leader of the House has not been able to construct drains in Gorakhpur. You should have built a stadium, an international level stadium,” he said pointing towards the CM.

Recalling PM Modi’s remarks during the 2022 election campaign when he had promised to resolve the issue of stray cattle, Akhilesh said it seems that there is no coordination between the state government and the Centre. “The coordination between Lucknow and Delhi seems to be gadbad (not good). Whatever Delhi says is not followed here and what Lucknow says is not being done by Delhi,” he said.

“On one hand, the government talks about ambitious 1 trillion dollar economy, while on the other hand, bulls are roaming freely on roads,” he added.

Pointing at the CM, the SP chief said officers were misleading him that UP was “number one in everything”. “New figures should be seen to know where UP is standing,” Yadav said, quoting a report that said, “UP is standing at number 16”.

Parliamentary Affairs Minister Suresh Khanna objected to the statement, saying “which agency’s report is this and what is its credibility”.

“You may win the elections, but you do not have political credibility,” Akhilesh replied.

He said a delegation signed an MoU with a university in the US and later it was turned out that it was not a university at all. “The BJP’s concept is very clear. Sign an MoU with anyone who wears a suit and a tie,” he said.

Raising the issue of police sending a notice to Bhojpuri folk singer Neha Singh Rathore for her song “UP Mein Ka Ba”, Akhilesh said, “Believe me, I will not mind if the CM composes a poem against us. I was the first chief minister who released a book on cartoons of himself.”

Citing the recent Kanpur Dehat incident, where a woman and her daughter died during a demolition drive, Akhilesh said that those who were responsible to save them ran from the spot but no action has been taken against them.  “What stopped the CM from taking action against them,” he said.