BJP hatching conspiracies to defame SP, claims Akhilesh

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday accused the UP govt of corruption, rising inflation and attempting to defame his party through political conspiracies.Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters, he said the BJP govt had become a govt of mafia and described it as the most chaotic and corrupt govt in history. "The cost of LPG cylinders increased by Rs 60 and rarely comes down," he said, further alleging that the govt was continuously increasing taxes, which in turn was fuelling inflation and placing an additional burden on the public. Raising questions about the functioning of the Election Commission, the former chief minister alleged that there were attempts to delete voters' names on a large scale. He claimed that if the Samajwadi Party had not raised its voice, the BJP would have succeeded in orchestrating large-scale deletions of voter names across assembly constituencies. Responding to a question regarding a Shankaracharya, Akhilesh Yadav said the Shankaracharya represented a respected institution and ideology. He alleged that the BJP govt had insulted the religious figure by making false allegations, which, he said, also harmed the image of Sanatan Dharm. On foreign policy and international issues, the former CM said it was the responsibility of the govt to ensure that Indian citizens working in Gulf countries who wished to return home were brought back safely. He also said that India's foreign policy should be determined by the Indian govt and its people, not by external influences. Highlighting the achievements of the Samajwadi Party govt during its tenure in Uttar Pradesh, the SP chief said the party's vision focused on development, employment and job creation. Referring to his party's political agenda, the SP chief said the party aimed to form a govt based on the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) social coalition and would work towards ensuring social justice and establishing a governance model centred on inclusive representation.