Will get caste census done after wresting power in 2022: Akhilesh
LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said his party would return to power in Uttar Pradesh in 2022 and get a caste census done in the state.
He reiterated that his party would win 351 seats in the assembly elections.
“The ‘cycle’ (SP’s election symbol) will have a free run in 2022. If the BJP can win 300+ seats by lying to people, then why can’t the SP win 351 by truth and citing our previous government’s development works. The people of UP will displace the BJP, and our party is returning to power in the state in 2022. We will win 351 seats,” he said at a press conference at the party headquarters in Lucknow.
With a touch of humour, Akhilesh Yadav said, “While going to Delhi by flight, a person saw my palm and predicted that if I work hard, I will form the next government by winning 350 seats. I have decided to add one more seat to it, making it 351.”
The UP assembly has 403 seats. Yadav announced his party would not contest the Bihar assembly polls and instead it would support the party that has potential to defeat the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) there.
As far as West Bengal election is concerned, the strategy will be prepared in consultation with party vice-president Kiranmoy Nanda, he said. On coronavirus in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Like on all other fronts, the BJP government failed on this too. The government was ill-prepared for the pandemic. But soon, BJP will begin saying that it had stopped coronavirus.” On the issue of t he state government having put up hoardings of those accused of violence during anti-CAA protests in Lucknow in December last year, Akhilesh Yadav said: “The government officers are doing an unlawful act. The court
took the government to task over the issue. The UP chief minister himself is accused of rioting. And he is the first chief minister who withdrew cases against himself.” On union home minister Amit Shah’s recent comment that those who caused the Delhi riots came from Uttar Pradesh, the SP chief said: “The country’s
home minister is upset with people of UP when he said that UP people did the riots in Delhi.”
Several BSP leaders, including former MP Balihari Babu, former minister Tilak Chand Ahirwar, and former MLAs Feran Lal Ahirwar and Anil Ahirwar joined the SP on the occasion.