A party that has "deviated” from the ideals of Babasaheb Ambedkar is fighting the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections with the sole purpose of stopping the Samajwadi Party (SP) from defeating the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday in a veiled attack on the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP).
Addressing a public meeting here, the Samajwadi Party chief said, all Samajwadis and Ambedkarites should join hands to bring about a change in Uttar Pradesh and protect the country’s constitution.
"Samajwadi Party is working to defeat the BJP, but one party intends to stop the SP," Mr. Yadav said without naming the BSP or any of its leaders.
"The party has deviated from the ideals of Dalit icon B. R. Ambedkar and is contesting (polls) not to win, but to help the BJP retain power,” he said.
“For protecting the Constitution, Samajwadis and Ambedkarites have to jointly bring a change in Uttar Pradesh because this election will decide the future of youth,” he added.
He also said many people of “that party” have joined the SP.
BSP chief Mayawati has on several occasions attacked the SP for allegedly working against the interests of Dalits, when they were in power from 2012 to 2017. She has cited the renaming of Sant Ravidas Nagar to Bhadohi by the previous SP government to justify her allegations.
A majority of the 19 BSP MLAs, who had won in the 2017 U.P. Assembly elections, including its former legislative party leader Lalji Verma and senior party leader Ram Achal Rajbhar, have crossed over to the SP, ahead of the assembly elections.
Sant Ravidas was a 16th century spiritual leader who is revered by Dalits.
Hitting out at the BJP-led government in the State for the “exorbitant rise” in the prices of petrol and diesel, he said, "If they return to power, the prices of petrol and diesel may cross ₹200 a litre." “The BJP had promised the poor would travel in aeroplanes, but due to the spiralling fuel prices, they cannot even own a motorcycle or car.
Going by the first phase of polling on 58 seats on February 10, people have made up their mind to defeat the BJP and we don’t have to wait till March 10 (counting of votes) to know the result,” Mr. Yadav said.
The opposition SP-Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance is coming to power. In the second phase of elections in Budaun, Sambhal and Moradabad, the BJP is going to be wiped out, he claimed.
Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his garmi nikalna (to calm down somebody) remark, Mr. Yadav said after the first round of polls, the BJP has "cooled down".
"The second round (of voting) will further cool them down," Mr. Yadav said.
He also attacked the BJP over the issue of doubling farmers’ income, saying the saffron party has failed to keep the promise.
Mr. Yadav highlighted his party manifesto which promises generation of employment, resumption of old pension scheme, providing fertilisers to farmers, a and MSP on crops.
