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Akhilesh invokes Hathras, says SP-RLD alliance will win 400 Uttar Pradesh seats
The SP chief also termed the recent attack on Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s convoy as the ‘biggest failure of law-and-order situation’ in Uttar Pradesh
The people of Uttar Pradesh will express their resentment against the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upcoming assembly elections, Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav said on Saturday, claiming that his party and its alliance will win 400 out of the 403 seats.
At a press conference in Aligarh, Yadav referred to the Hathras gang rape of a 19-year-old girl in 2020, whose body was cremated by Uttar Pradesh police and administration without consent or presence of the victim’s family.
“Family of the daughter from Hathras wanted justice, they wanted to cremate her respectfully. But what did the people of this government do? They didn’t let it happen. Had she received proper treatment at the hospital, she would perhaps have been alive today,” the former chief minister said.
Polling in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases starting February 10 and the votes will be counted on March 10.
The SP chief also termed the recent attack on Hyderabad Lok Sabha MP and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi’s convoy as the “biggest failure of law-and-order situation” in Uttar Pradesh. “SP condemned the incident as soon as we got to know. BJP should answer if the mafia opened fire when they saw a political leader,” he asked, adding that those attacking the SP on law and order should reply why Uttar Pradesh was on top in the number of custodial deaths.
Later in the day, Yadav campaigned for the SP-RLD (Rashtriya Lok Dal) alliance candidates in Aligarh, where polling will take place on February 10 in the first phase. The BJP had won all seven seats in Aligarh district in the 2017 assembly elections. In 2012, the SP had won four seats while the RLD bagged the remaining three, though they contested separately.
“We have seen the anger of the people against the BJP government. The SP-RLD allinace is going to get 400 seats, others will get the remaining 3,” said Yadav.
Attacking the BJP-led Union government, the former CM said, “The double engine BJP regime has ruined the farmers. They had to protest for one year to oppose the three farm laws and as the elections approached in states, these farm laws were withdrawn.”
“BJP should tell why these laws were brought and, if they were good, why were they withdrawn,” he asked.
He termed the Uttar Pradesh elections as a fight of “bhaichara” (brotherhood) versus “BJP’s negative politics”.
Making an appeal to voters, Yadav promised to create a farmers’ corpus fund and provide 300 units of free domestic electricity if his party is voted to power.
Pramod Gupta, the in-charge of BJP for Aligarh and state executive member said the SP leader’s claims of winning 400 seats in UP seems to be a “mockery in itself”. “It reflects the seriousness with which the national president of the party is taking this election. Yet, he claims that the SP is favouring positive politics,” said Gupta.
