Farmers Movement Archive

Won’t allow any “black laws” passed by BJP to be implemented in UP: Akhilesh

MEERUT Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday promised the farmers of Uttar Pradesh that the SP-RLD alliance would not allow any “black laws” passed by the BJP to be implemented in the state.“I still don’t understand why they brought the three farm bills and thereafter scrapped them without explaining their action. It was done for votes,” stated Yadav while cautioning farmers that the BJP could bring in any law without informing people. He was addressing his first joint press conference with RLD chief and his ally in the election, Jayant Chaudhary, in Muzaffarnagar. The Samajwadi Party president said that he and Rashtriya Lok Dal’s Jayant Chaudhary were “farmers’ sons”, who will fight for the farmers till the end. Yadav stated that his connection with the farmers was the reason why he always carried a “laal topi and a laal potli” in his pocket.“I carry an ‘ann sankalp’ to defeat them (BJP) and make them run away,” the SP chief added.Yadav also declared to create a corpus and revolving fund from the state budget to ensure timely payment of sugarcane dues of farmers, if his party was voted to power in the UP Assembly elections.He announced to establish a Kisan Shaheed Memorial in Meerut in memory of farmers who lost their lives during the yearlong agitation. Yadav demanded Bharat Ratna for former Prime Minister and late farmer leader Charan Singh. “This highest civilian award should be given to Charan Singh,” he said.“This UP election is for the future of farmers, youths and people should defeat negative forces in order to keep the ‘Ganga-Jamuni’ culture alive,” he said, adding that the RLD-SP alliance will come out with a spectacular victory in the election because people had made up their mind for a change. Promising 300 units of free electricity and irrigation facility to farmers, the SP chief said: “The payment of sugarcane dues has always been a major issue. After forming government, a corpus fund would be created from the budget to ensure timely payment of sugarcane dues. I will ensure payment in 15 days.”Attacking the BJP over its ‘tamanchawadi’ remark against the SP and its leaders, Yadav targeted the chief minister without naming him and said: “He is the BJP’s first CM who had so many cases against him and the deputy CM had even more cases. And they call those ‘tamanchawadi’ who don’t have a single case against them.” Taking a jibe at chief minister Yogi Adityanath, he said: “Babaji was demanding ticket from Mathura and Ayodhya, but was sent back home.”The SP chief claimed that the law and order situation had deteriorated in UP during BJP’s rule, which was evident by the fact that the state received maximum notices from the human rights commission. He also accused the BJP of raising old issues and insulting unemployed youth. “If youths are out on the roads for jobs, it is the government’s fault. This time it would be BJP’s ‘political migration’,” stated Yadav. Without naming Amit Shah who used his saliva during distribution of BJP’s pamphlets, he said: “They are distributing pamphlets to spread corona and the election commission should take note of this.” RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary raised the issue of election commission’s delay in giving permission to video vans of party candidates. He also accused government department heads of demanding voter ID cards for submission of ballot papers and cautioned employees to give completed ballot papers instead of providing ID in order to prevent bogus voting on their names. Akhilesh Yadav also supported Chaudhary’s allegations and said similar practice was adopted by officials during the panchayat elections, saying that that he would lodge a complaint in this regard with the ECI. Both the leaders appealed to the people to ensure victory of the SP-RLD alliance candidates on all six seats of Muzaffarnagar district.Reacting to Yadav’s statement, deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said: “None needs to stop you Akhileshji. People are ready to stop you as they did in 2014, in 2017 and in 2019 polls. Stop this drama and brace for March 10, when people will make you see the reality.”

Hindustan Times

28-01-2022

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