SP slams Budget, questions power privatisation move

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party MLC Rajendra Chaudhary on Thursday cornered the UP govt on the floor of the Vidhan Parishad.He criticised the proposed privatisation of the state power department and termed the state Budget "misplaced priorities" ahead of elections besides hitting the UP govt on various counts.
He said the BJP govt was in the habit of making grand proposals. Referring to the Budget, he used the phrase "andher nagari chaupat raja" to suggest that the chief minister was unaware of people's problems.The govt claimed it presented the largest budget in the state's history. Chaudhary questioned why allocations made in the previous budget remained unspent. He also asked why such a large budget was needed when assembly elections were due in 8-9 months."Shouldn't unfinished works be completed first instead of launching new schemes?", he said. He said public interest must remain paramount in a democracy. "Fancy promises and populist claims do not help people," he added.Chaudhary pointed to what he called contradictions in official claims. "On one hand, the govt says six crore people were lifted out of poverty. On the other, it provides free ration to 16 crore people," he said.He also questioned claims of improved law and order. "If the situation improved, why are there heavy allocations for the police department?", he asked. The SP leader accused the govt of taking credit for farmers' hard work. He said fertiliser shortages persisted despite claims of record farm output. He alleged that development projects launched during the previous Akhilesh Yadav govt were stalled. He added that unemployment remained high, with graduates and postgraduates forced to take odd jobs.