Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav. File photo.
SP leaders have been murdered in Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Greater Noida, while a BSP leader and his relative were killed in Bijnore. A pradhan close to BJP MP Smriti Irani was also murdered in Amethi soon after her victory.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government for the spate of murders of his party workers in Uttar Pradesh post 2019 Lok Sabha election result. Mr. Yadav warned the BJP government of his party’s capacity to mobilize “junta ki takat” and said that if the administration and government “think SP workers can be murdered [and gotten away with], we won’t push back from the path of sangharsh (struggle).”
Mr. Yadav’s aggressive stance came in Azamgarh, where he was addressing a thanksgiving rally after being elected from the constituency. He convincingly defeated Dinesh Lal Yadav alias Nirhua, Bhojpur star who contested on a BJP ticket.
The week after the results were declared were followed by a spate of “political murders” as alleged by the SP.
SP leaders have been murdered in Jaunpur, Ghazipur and Greater Noida, while a BSP leader and his relative were killed in Bijnore and a pradhan close to BJP MP Smriti Irani was murdered in Amethi soon after her victory.
“One BJP leader goes to Amethi (Ms. Irani) and says her worker is killed. Police rush to grab the culprits. Later we come to know that it was a BJP worker who committed the murder,” said the SP president. He continued: “So many Samajwadis lost their lives. When will the police, administration and the government wake up ?”
Mr. Yadav also said that those who committed “injustice” and “betrayal” would be meted out a lesson in future, adding that “everything will change with the instructions of the same government” and with time, hinting at action if the SP returns to power.
“I am not saying this because we lost [the elections) but we need to teach a lesson to those who did injustice. There is no other way in politics,” said a combative Mr. Yadav.
The SP chief also targetted the BJP and media, without naming anyone directly, for reducing his party’s alliance with the BSP as an “alliance of Muslims and Yadavs and Dalits.”
“We couldn’t fight for those whom we wanted to. We couldn’t convince those whom we wanted to because I have always said and will say it again that we don’t have the power to divert attention. Only BJP has that power,” said the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.
He urged his workers and supporters to “dream” of 2022 and 2024, State and Lok Sabha elections, if they wanted to succeed.
On Tuesday, Mr. Yadav is scheduled to visit the family of zila panchayat member Vijay Yadav who was shot dead a day after the 2019 Lok Sabha election results in neighbouring Ghazipur.
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