LPG scarcity a fallout of Centre’s failed global strategy: Akhilesh

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday criticised the Centre's foreign policy, claiming it failed to safeguard India's energy security and contributed to the ongoing shortage of LPG cylinders in the country.Speaking to the media in Mumbai where he will attend the Vision India programme on Sunday, Yadav said India should have taken a stronger stand for global peace amid ongoing international conflicts. "The BJP-led central govt's foreign policy has failed. India's energy security and LPG supply are directly linked to global diplomacy," he said. Highlighting the humanitarian and economic fallout of ongoing conflicts in different parts of the world, the SP chief said: "Wars were claiming innocent lives and creating instability. It is now also impacting India's economy." Yadav said the LPG cylinder scarcity has created difficulties for households and the hospitality sector alike. "From cooking in homes to the functioning of restaurants and hotels, many are on the verge of shutting down due to the shortage," he said. The former UP chief minister further alleged that the crisis was not sudden but the result of govt's lack of preparedness. Upon his arrival in Mumbai, Akhilesh was welcomed by Maharashtra SP president and MLA Abu Asim Azmi and party MLA Rais Shaikh. Akhilesh accuses BJP govt of caste bias Lucknow: Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday accused the BJP govt of promoting caste bias in administrative appointments that are enabling criminals and mafia to operate with political protection.In a statement issued in Lucknow, Akhilesh said discussions about caste-based favouritism in govt postings have become common across UP. He alleged that officials belonging to particular communities are being deliberately posted in key positions to shield criminals and mafia of their castes. Claiming that the atmosphere of discrimination and injustice has led to a deterioration in law and order, Yadav cited the killing of a driver in Jaunpur and the shooting of two people in Badaun. He said that the PDA alliance would resist "pain, oppression and injustice."