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Protests in Delhi, Lucknow if concerns over voters list revision not addressed: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav questioned why the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not given the list of updated voters list to the political parties to cross-check as per the practice
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said 2.1 million new names have been added and over 1.6 million removed from voters lists ahead of the 2022 assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh without allowing political parties to cross-check the additions and deletions. He warned of sit-in protests in Delhi and Lucknow if their concerns over the matter were not addressed.
Yadav said the Election Commission of India (ECI) has not given the lists to the political parties to cross-check unlike until before the 2019 national elections. “ECI then gave lists to the political parties, then why not this time?” he asked at a press conference called on the fifth anniversary of the demonetisation of high-value currency notes in 2016.
Yadav said SP’s state president Naresh Uttam Patel led a party delegation that met Uttar Pradesh’s chief election officer and gave him a memorandum over the matter. “We will give a memorandum in Delhi (to ECI) also and if needed sit on sit-ins.” He added he understands most of the officers posted in ECI were sent from Uttar Pradesh.
Yadav earlier celebrated the birthday of Khajanchi, who was born shortly after his mother queued up in Kanpur Dehat to get her demonetised currency notes exchanged on December 2, 2016, before starting the press conference.
SP has been celebrating Khajanchi’s birthday since the first anniversary of demonetisation. Khajanchi is often referred to as a demonetisation baby and he was named Khajanchi (treasurer) by the manager of the bank outside which he was born.
Yadav said the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) should celebrate Khajanchi’s birthday. “Demonetisation was their gift to people to ruin the economy and businesses. The BJP has not been talking about the benefits of demonetisation. Black money did not end, corruption rose, and corruption in Uttar Pradesh rose unprecedentedly. The BJP was telling people through TV channels that the new currency had chips to check black money. Demonetisation did not end black money. Money is not black or white; it is the transactions that you or I do that are black or white. The demonetisation was done deliberately to trouble people.”
Yadav blamed the BJP for the“ruin” in the economy. He called the demonetisation a “masterstroke” that turned out to be “brain stroke”. Yadav added the way it was implemented, ruined traders and businesses. He also displayed an empty cylinder at the press conference citing high fuel prices.
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He referred to the Supreme Court’s observation on Monday that the investigation into the Lakhimpur Kheri violence appears to be favouring the “main accused” in the case. “The SP has been saying since the beginning that till the BJP is in power, forget about justice in the Lakhimpur Kheri case. BJP’s triple engine government will not let justice happen. Triple engine--the BJP government in the state, the BJP government at the Centre, and the BJP government of (Union minister Ajay Mishra Teni) who has not resigned even till now.”
A convoy, in which at least one vehicle belonged to Teni, ran over farmers protesting three controversial laws and triggered the violence. Ashish Mishra, the son of the minister, is one of the accused in the violence.
Yadav said the Special Investigation Team probing the violence will do what the state government will tell it to do. “There will be a change in 2022 and justice will be done.”
Yadav also launched Samajwadi Itra (perfume). The perfume bottles and boxes are red and green (SP colours) while the cartons also have a picture of Yadav.
