Ghaziabad: Mayawati’s kin Anand targets BJP, urges cadres to see ‘malicious agenda’

Anand urged the party cadre and supporters to question the BJP on the works done by it in the last 10 years

Ghaziabad: BSP supremo Mayawati’s nephew and party’s national coordinator Akash Anand on Sunday targetted the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) led governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh on their development model, and asking his party cadres to observe “malicious agenda” of rival parties.

Akash Anand was speaking during the election rally held in Ghaziabad’s Arthala in support of BSP candidate Thakur Nandkishor Pundhir. (Sakib Ali/HT Photo)

Anand was holding an election rally in Ghaziabad’s Arthala in support of BSP candidate Thakur Nandkishor Pundhir who is pitted against Congress’ Dolly Sharma and BJP’s sitting MLA and candidate Atul Garg.

The BSP leader hit out at the opposition parties and the BJP during his speech on Sunday evening, saying that the opposition (without naming anyone) is carrying out a “malicious agenda”, telling BSP cadres that the elephant (the BSP symbol) hasn’t moved forward for the last several years.

“We negate this notion on the basis of revelations of the data of the electoral bonds. About ₹16,500 crore was received by 25 political parties. This list does not include the name of the BSP. The party did not receive a single rupee from any company or capitalist,” he said.

Anand urged the party cadre and supporters to question the BJP on the works done by it in the last 10 years.

“The BJP had been in power for the past 10 years at the Centre, question them on education, security and unemployment. Children in government schools can’t frame sentences in English and more than half are unable to do basic maths,” he said.

Anand remarked that one in three graduates are roaming around unemployed amid frequent news about paper leaks. “Besides the youth, who are PhD or engineers, are applying for menial jobs.”

“You will not have employment and no reservation. They do not talk about jobs, development, unemployment, or security but only temples, mosques, and religion,” he said.

“When they could not give employment, their leaders followed a line to give free ration to 80 crore people. It means that over half the country stands below the poverty line... the cost of this scheme is ₹2 lakh crore of government funds... If this is the Gujarat model, then Bharat doesn’t need it,” he said, referring to development model of Prime Minister Modi’s home state.

He targeted the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh on crime, saying: “Had they bulldozed the businesses of Goondas and mafia, we would have appreciated them.”

“They boast of development and technology. To talk about their financial prudence, the debt was ₹58.6 lakh crore on the Centre in 2014, when the BJP government came to power. Now, it is 152 lakh crore. All of us will have to pay for it,” Anand added.

BJP city president Sanjeev Sharma reacted to Anand’s allegations saying that he is a newbie and should dig more to know about the BJP’s various schemes.

“He must have read a pre-written speech handed over to him. He should inquire about the jobs given to youth under different schemes, houses and other support given to the poor under various other schemes by the Centre and also in UP. The people will reply to the BSP in this election as they know our work,” he said.

Gautam Budh Nagar and Ghaziabad will vote on April 26.