Akhilesh attacks U.P. govt over Raksha Bandhan free ride ‘mismanagement’

In a statement on Friday, he said nothing could be more shameful than women becoming victim to unpardonable negligence and mismanagement on the occasion of the pious festival

Attacking the state government over alleged mismanagement in the special bus service and free rides to women on Raksha Bandhan, Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav said “the women had become victim to the BJP government’s unpardonable negligence”.

The SP chief said women suffered for hours waiting or had a troubled commute. (HT file)

In a statement on Friday, he said nothing could be more shameful than women becoming victim to unpardonable negligence and mismanagement on the occasion of the pious festival. “Despite squandering crores of rupees in the publicity of the free bus rides (on UP State Roadways Transport Corporation) for women, the transport services were haywire,” said Akhilesh in a statement issued by his party.

He said women visit their brothers to tie “rakhis” and the BJP government had assured women of free bus rides on the occasion but due to the failure of the UPSRTC, the women suffered for hours waiting or had a troubled commute.

“So much so that in Bulandshahr, women were seen travelling of the roof of the buses while in Sikandrabad in Banda they were seen waiting for hours on end to get a bus,” he said.

The SP chief also attacked the government over law and order on the Raksha Bandan. He said the guardians of law and order could not manage stray bulls and in several families the festivities turned into grief because of bull attacks.

In Shikohabad, a woman died when the vehicle she was travelling on got hit by a bull. She was on her way to her brother’s house to tie rakhi, he said.