SP to form next govt in UP, will withdraw cases against CAA protestors: Akhilesh
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav predicted that the 2022 assembly election in Uttar Pradesh will usher in a historic change and propel his party to power.
Samajwadi Party (SP) national president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said his party would return to power in Uttar Pradesh in a “historic change” in 2022 and would then withdraw all cases lodged against Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) and the National Register of Citizens (NRC) protestors.
He said his party was against CAA and NRC right from the start.
“There will be a historic change in 2022. The Samajwadi Party will form the government. And we are making that road to return to power clear by shaking hands with smaller parties,” Akhilesh said at a press conference he held at his party office here where Sumaiya Rana, daughter of famous Urdu poet Munawwar Rana, former BSP Lok Sabha candidate from Gonda Masood Alam Khan; former MLA and BSP chief coordinator Ramesh Gautam and over two dozen leaders and many of their supporters joined the SP.
A poetess herself, Sumaiya Rana was one of the leaders of last year’s anti-CAA-NRC protest at Ghantaghar in Lucknow.
Akhilesh said a large number of people from other parties were joining the SP and many more would become SP members in the near future. “This trend of leaders joining the SP is another sign of the SP’s return to power,” he said.
Attacking the BJP government, the former chief minister said the saffron party cannot stand any voice of dissent. He alleged that in order to suppress the voice of the people and the opposition, the BJP government was framing cases against them. “Even if you raise your voice against adulteration of milk, you may have a case filed against you,” he said.
He also criticized the recent farm laws that have triggered massive protests by farmers on Delhi’s borders. Terming the new farm laws a death warrant for farmers, Akhilesh said his party had consistently played an active role in farmers’ campaigns. There was no political party in the country against whom so many cases were filed by a government. However, SP will continue to support the farmers’ struggle, he said.
Akhilesh also said the MSP (minimum support price) for an agriculture produce should be fixed in a manner that it doubles the farmers’ income. “The BJP government had promised that it would double the income of farmers by 2022. So, MSP should be fixed accordingly,” he demanded.
