Daijiworld Media Network - Patna
Patna, Aug 31: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday took a swipe at the Election Commission (EC), saying it had itself been subjected to “special intensive revision (SIR)” by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi’s ongoing Voter Adhikar Yatra in Bihar.
Speaking to reporters at Patna airport before boarding his return flight, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister alleged that the poll body had been making “jugaad” for the BJP, but despite that, the saffron party looked set for defeat in the upcoming assembly polls.
Earlier in the day, Yadav joined Rahul Gandhi and RJD leader Tejashwi Yadav in the Yatra at Saran and later addressed a massive rally at Arrah. He also met RJD supremo Lalu Prasad at his residence in Patna.
“I am confident that Tejashwi will form the next government in Bihar. I may not be in power, but I will share my experience to help him,” Yadav told journalists outside Lalu’s home.
Reacting to the BJP’s charge that the INDIA bloc was opposing SIR to protect infiltrators, Yadav shot back, “In our state, we have an immigrant (pravaasi) as the chief minister,” in a veiled reference to Yogi Adityanath, who hails from Uttarakhand but settled in Gorakhpur.
Tejashwi Yadav, standing by his side, claimed the EC had not shown a single infiltrator in Bihar’s electoral rolls, but ironically included Gujarat-based BJP leader Bhikhubhai Dalsania in the state’s list.
Targeting the Modi government at the Centre, Akhilesh hit out at steep tariffs imposed by the Donald Trump administration and demanded a complete halt on trade with China. He also alleged that the Centre had ruined farmers by failing to keep its promise of doubling their income.
On the controversy over abusive slogans raised against Prime Minister Narendra Modi during the Yatra, the SP chief said, “Nobody condones such behaviour, but the BJP is only trying to divert public attention. Beware, it is a party that uses people and then destroys them.”
At the Arrah rally, he also took a dig at RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s recent claim that Indians share the same DNA for 40,000 years. “We used to say our struggle for social justice is 5,000 years old. Now, thanks to them, we know it’s 40,000 years,” he quipped.
Alluding to L K Advani’s arrest during the Ram Rath Yatra in Bihar in 1990, Yadav said, “The BJP was stopped once in Bihar, and this time it will be thrown out.”
Reaffirming his backing for Tejashwi Yadav, the SP leader said, “We will fully support him. May he form the next government and create jobs for Bihar’s youth, ending forced migration. It will then be the BJP’s turn to migrate from Bihar.”