Akhilesh slams bills to sack tainted ministers: 'Those who dig pits for others fall into them'

Lucknow, Aug 25 (PTI) Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday attacked the BJP on the three bills which propose the removal of ministers under arrest for 30 consecutive days, saying history is full of examples of “dictatorial” governments that framed laws to cling to power but eventually collapsed.

“Around the world, dictatorial regimes have brought in such laws only to protect themselves from losing power. But history shows they could not survive. Those who dig pits for others eventually fall into them,” Yadav said while responding to a query on the bills at a press conference.

Taking aim at BJP leaders defending the Bill, Yadav questioned their “honesty,” saying, “Where was this honesty when the Uttar Pradesh chief minister withdrew cases against himself? Not only his own cases, but even those against the deputy chief minister were withdrawn.” The former UP chief minister alleged that “every kind of mafia is now in the BJP - paper leak mafia, liquor mafia, job mafia, construction mafia.” “Over the last nine years, if you count mafias in every sector, they’re all in BJP - because the CM himself set the example by withdrawing his own cases,” he said at the presser held at the SP state headquarters.

On INDIA bloc unity, Yadav said, “The principle is that the INDIA alliance must grow stronger. The Samajwadi Party and all regional parties with socialist ideology want to strengthen it.” Criticising the state government on education, he said, “This government is opening more liquor shops than schools. There are more liquor shops in UP than in New York, while over 20 thousand primary schools are shut.” He also accused the Yogi Adityanath government of filing cases against SP workers who opened “PDA Pathshalas” in protest against merging government schools with fewer than 50 students.

“Even the British never booked anyone to promote education, but this government does,” he said.

Citing the ongoing protest by candidates seeking proper reservation in the recruitment of 69,000 teachers, Yadav alleged that the BJP government has created an atmosphere of injustice.

“Those who promised ‘achhe din’ have indulged in corruption - not just financial, but also in denying the rights Babasaheb Ambedkar gave us through reservation,” he said, calling for opposition unity to “wipe out” the BJP.

Union Home Minister Amit Shah last week introduced three Bills in the Lok Sabha for the removal of the prime minister, chief ministers and ministers if arrested or detained for 30 consecutive days on serious charges, drawing fierce protests from opposition MPs who tore up copies of the draft law. The House later sent the Bills to a Joint Committee of Parliament comprising 21 members from the Lok Sabha and 10 from the Rajya Sabha for scrutiny. PTI ABN ABN AMJ AMJ