Akhilesh attacks BJP over inflation, stray cattle

On the issue of stray cattle, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav tweeted a news clipping that claimed that two people died this month in the state after being attacked by bulls. During campaigning for the state assembly elections, he had frequently raised the problem of stray animals.

Lucknow: On the eve of swearing-in of the Yogi Adityanth 2.0 government at a grand ceremony in Lucknow, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said that “after sitting quiet and avoiding price rise to reap election benefits, the BJP has now begun giving ‘return gift’ to people by resuming price rise”. He also attacked the saffron party over the issue of stray cattle in UP.

Akhilesh said that during the elections, the BJP showered people with hollow promises and misled them. (Pic for representation)

In a statement, Akhilesh said after the BJP’s return to power the onslaught of price rise on the poor, labourers and middle-class had doubled. “Diesel, petrol, LPG (cooking gas), education, medicines and food, all have become dearer. This is the truth of the dictatorial BJP”.

Akhilesh said that during the elections, the BJP showered people with hollow promises and misled them. The BJP had promised free gas cylinder on Holi and Diwali, but the people did not get any free gas cylinders on Holi. The over-publicised Ujjwala scheme of cooking gas had completely failed and with the hike in prices of gas cylinders, people were back to their old ‘chulhas’.

“The truth is that whenever the BJP came to power, the prices hit the roof. In the past 16 months, gas cylinder’s price has gone up by ₹356. In Lucknow and Patna, the cost of a gas cylinder has crossed ₹1,000”, he said in the statement issued by the party.

On the issue of stray cattle, Akhilesh tweeted a news clipping that claimed that two people died this month in the state after being attacked by bulls.

During campaigning for the state assembly elections, Akhilesh had frequently raised the problem of stray animals.

The news clipping shared by him on Twitter also claimed that “over 11 lakh animals are roaming freely in Uttar Pradesh and two (people) were killed in March in bull attack”. It also had a picture of two bulls fighting on a road. Akhilesh tweeted without naming any party or person.

To note, during an election rally Prime Minister Narendra Modi had said that the problem being faced by farmers of the state due to stray animals was being taken seriously.

He had promised that this problem would be resolved after the model code of conduct ends on March 10 and the new government was formed.