'Can an intimidated person rectify functioning of health department', Akhilesh jabs Dy CM Pathak

Lucknow, Sep 12 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday took an indirect jibe at Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak, asking can a person who is intimidated be able to rectify the functioning of the health department.

Speaking to reporters at the party office after meeting a delegation from the Sikh community, Yadav, without naming Pathak, said, "Can a deputy chief minister, who is intimidated, be able to rectify (the functioning of) the health department? See the condition of the medical colleges, the prestigious universities... See the condition of the Saifai medical university (Uttar Pradesh University of Medical Sciences)." Pathak holds the medical education, medical and health, and family welfare portfolios in the Uttar Pradesh government.

Yadav also said it is the responsibility of the Election Commission to ensure that there is no theft of votes, and the voting process is conducted with transparency.

“The whole country knows that voters were prevented from voting (in the bypolls in Uttar Pradesh). But no action was taken on the complaints lodged in Kundarki and Rampur.

“Weren't the DM and SP instructed to get votes cast at gunpoint in Kundarki? About 5,000 people were brought from outside for the by-election (in Milkipur) in Ayodhya. It was a robbery of votes," Yadav said, adding that the Election Commission should not become a “Jugaaru Aayog” of the BJP.

A correct voter list should be made available to prevent electoral malpractices, he said.

“The Election Commission should ensure that there is no theft of votes, otherwise it is possible that people will be seen on the streets here too,” he said.

The SP chief also said that the government should help the people in Uttarakhand, Himachal Pradesh, Jammu and Kashmir, and Punjab following heavy rain and floods there.

“The government will have to make some long-term planning to deal with the environmental issues that have cropped up,” he said.

He also said that any development project should be undertaken only after considering the damage it will cause to the environment.

“The mountains in Uttarakhand are (relatively) weak. They are not like the mountains in America or Europe. These are still new. Many people would know that Ram Manohar Lohia was the first to say ‘save the rivers, save the mountains, save the Himalayas’," Yadav said. PTI NAV ARI