UP government not cleaning rivers but budget: Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow, Oct 15 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday accused the Uttar Pradesh government of prioritising corporate interests while paying lip service when it comes to projects for cleaning rivers.

Questioning the ruling BJP's "swadeshi" slogan, he claimed it was meant to mislead people. If the BJP is "swadeshi" at heart, why doesn't its government impose tariffs on China, which has captured a large share of the Indian market, Yadav posed.

"The government is selling us the swadeshi sentiment. Learn from America how they have imposed tariffs. You (India) should impose tariffs on China." "The BJP speaks about 'Swadeshi' but is 'Videshi' at heart," the Samajwadi Party chief added.

While claiming that inflation and corruption are at their peaks under the BJP government, he also raised concerns about the rising gold prices.

Yadav said, "The price of gold is constantly rising. Inflation has never been this high. Poor people won't even be able to give their daughters a nose pin at their weddings. Ten grams of gold has now exceeded the price of Rs 1,25,000." Speaking to reporters at the party headquarters, Yadav said the BJP-led administration remembered river cleaning only when "it was time for them to go." The government is not actually cleaning rivers but "cleaning the budget," the former chief minister said. "They plan how to spoil every good thing and how to loot." Accusing the BJP dispensation of turning public initiatives into avenues for private gain, Yadav added the government was looting the lands and crops of farmers, while large business houses were given a free hand to build vast real-estate and land banks.

"The truth is that this government has never been honest with farmers, nor are its decisions fair to them," Yadav added.

Responding to a question about the possibility of continuing the alliance with the Congress in the Legislative Council teacher elections, the SP chief said, "This is a very personal election. Our alliance exists and will remain." "We will strengthen this alliance further and work continuously on that path, Yadav said.

Asked about his plans for the Bihar Assembly elections, Yadav said, "Whoever invites us in Bihar, we will go. We have said that we, the socialists, and the people here, defeated the BJP in Awadh. Now it is the responsibility of the people of Bihar to help." Taking aim at incidents of police encounters, he referred to Akhilesh Dubey, a lawyer accused in corruption cases in Kanpur, and said, "If encounters alone could improve law and order, why aren't they carrying out an encounter against Akhilesh Dubey?" "The day the authorities realise their secrets are about to be exposed, Dubey will also be encountered. This government wants to scare people with encounters.

It doesn't want to improve law and order through these incidents, but rather wants to scare people into thinking that they are improving law and order," Yadav said.

The SP chief accused the state government of "politically exploiting" the police, saying, "If the police are used politically, who will look after law and order? This is the result of the state's law and order situation." PTI CDN NSD NSD