LPG price hike result of BJP’s anti-poor, pro-capitalist policies: Akhilesh

Lucknow: Slamming the BJP for announcing an increase of Rs 29 in prices of LPG cylinders for domestic use, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday described it a result of BJP’s anti-poor and pro-capitalist policies. He said the price rise was ‘manufactured’ by the BJP.

“The common man is struggling to survive under rising prices of essential commodities. In the past three months, cooking gas prices have risen by Rs 89. Prices of petrol and diesel are being increased at regular intervals,” Akhilesh said. The BJP govt is not bothered about the poor, he added.

“The BJP is only bothered about its industrialist and corporate friends and works day and night to make sure that their profits continue to soar. All this is the result of BJP’s policies which are anti-poor and pro capitalist,” he said.

“BJP govt’s tall promises of curbing price rise have been exposed. The double-engine govts are ‘robbing’ the people,” Akhilesh said.

“While the BJP in Uttar Pradesh robbed the poor by forcing on them smart electricity meters which produced inflated bills, the BJP govt at the Centre hiked prices of fuel, LPG and essential commodities making the common man pay more. All this while the state and the centre continued to fill their coffers,” Akhilesh said.

The SP chief pointed out that the rise in fuel prices result in a cascading effect on prices of essential commodities including food items. But the BJP is insensitively watching people’s struggle,” he said.

“Such price rise leaves no room for the common man to look for any alternative because there isn’t any. Their income is not rising. Unemployment is at its peak. Trade and business have been destroyed. Cost of producing crops has shot up because the govt has not made fertilizers and seeds available,” Akhilesh said.

‘When police turn criminals it’s kalyug’

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has said the Allahabad High Court’s comments on police excesses in UP has left the BJP with no moral right to continue in the govt. “When police turn criminals, its Kalyug,” he said.

Akhilesh’s reaction comes close to the heels of the High Court observation that police officers in the state were more loyal towards the ruling dispensation than the Constitution. The court made the observations while allowing a petition filed by one Rajendra Tyagi relating to the Gangsters Act case and quashed the trial against him.

“Under the BJP govt the police have become a Bhrashtputli (puppet of corruption) who take law in their hands to please the political party in power. Injustice and exploitation is at its peak under the BJP govt," he said.