Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday declared that the INDIA alliance will “completely wipe out” the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh in the 2027 assembly elections, asserting that just as the saffron party rose to power through UP, its fall would begin from here too.
Addressing a press conference in Jhansi, where he had come to attend party workers’ family functions and inspect the site for a proposed PDA office, Akhilesh said the SP-Congress alliance had already dented the BJP’s numbers in the previous election and the next one would deliver a decisive blow.
Attacking the ruling party on law and order, Akhilesh alleged that despite the BJP’s vocal stand on Sanatan Dharm, the administration stopped Shankaracharya Swami Avimukteshwaranand from taking his palanquin to the Sangam on Mauni Amavasya on January 18, citing crowd control. He alleged that the Shankaracharya’s disciples were beaten by plainclothes policemen and the seer was barred from taking a holy dip. He accused Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath of deflecting the matter as a law-and-order issue.
On crime and governance, he alleged that the administration had helped a scrap mafia don escape from Banda jail and subsequently flee the country through Nepal. He also alleged that UP had recorded the highest number of alleged fake encounters since 2017 and questioned the circumstances surrounding the killings of Pushpendra Yadav, Vikas Dubey and Assad Khan, demanding scrutiny of satellite images from the site where Dubey’s vehicle allegedly overturned.
{{/usCountry}}On crime and governance, he alleged that the administration had helped a scrap mafia don escape from Banda jail and subsequently flee the country through Nepal. He also alleged that UP had recorded the highest number of alleged fake encounters since 2017 and questioned the circumstances surrounding the killings of Pushpendra Yadav, Vikas Dubey and Assad Khan, demanding scrutiny of satellite images from the site where Dubey’s vehicle allegedly overturned.
{{/usCountry}}Akhilesh alleged deep corruption in government projects, claiming that the 90-km Gorakhpur link road was built for ₹7,000 crore, with the road contractor allegedly arriving at sites by private plane. He alleged misappropriation in Jal Jeevan Mission works, saying overhead tanks were leaking and funds meant for Bundelkhand’s development were being siphoned to Lucknow. He also alleged financial irregularities in the Erach dam project, claiming its cost had tripled after work was stalled.
On farmer issues, he alleged that lands were being acquired under BIDA and the Defence Corridor without any visible project on the ground.
Taking a jab at the CM’s reported upcoming visit to Japan, Akhilesh quipped that Yogi was going to study Japan’s vegetation while leaving behind the country’s own rich green cover.
When asked whether Nasimuddin Siddiqui’s induction into the party was a replacement for Azam Khan, Akhilesh said no one could replace Khan.
He also criticised the Youth Congress workers’ shirtless protest during the recent AI Summit, saying such acts harm the country’s image before foreign delegations. He further alleged that the government was deliberately scaling down his and Rahul Gandhi’s security cover to create a climate of fear.