Daijiworld Media Network - New Delhi

New Delhi, Sept 7: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday declared the upcoming 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections as a “defining moment” for the state, urging voters to choose socialism over what he described as the BJP’s assault on democracy and constitutional values.

“The 2027 election will be about reclaiming democracy and reinstating a socialist system. When the BJP goes, democracy will be safe, the Constitution will be protected, reservations will be safeguarded, and inflation will be brought under control,” Yadav said at a press briefing, intensifying his attack on the ruling party.

He accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of systematically eroding democratic institutions and blamed the government for rising inequality and economic hardship across the state.

Yadav also criticised the BJP over the implementation of the Goods and Services Tax (GST), calling it a failed promise. “From the very beginning, GST was projected as a simple, fair tax system. But after countless amendments, we are still fixing its flaws. Who really benefited?” he asked.

He claimed that despite promises of ease of doing business, traders continue to suffer, and recent GST slab changes are more about optics than relief. “Now they’re changing slabs in the name of the poor. But profiteering runs so deep in the system that no amendment can stop it,” he remarked.

On the state’s economic condition, Yadav said nine consecutive BJP-led budgets in Uttar Pradesh have failed to improve the lives of traders and the poor, suggesting that core issues remain unaddressed despite tall promises.

In a sharp jibe, Yadav said the BJP talks about ‘Swadeshi’ (indigenous values) but follows ‘Videshi’ (foreign) economic practices on the ground.
He also made a tongue-in-cheek remark about receiving a traffic challan worth ?8 lakh for overspeeding in his convoy. “The government’s cameras must have caught my car. I didn’t even bother looking again. I’ll find out who’s behind this — and I’m sure that person will be from the BJP,” he said.

With less than two years to go for the high-stakes 2027 election, Yadav’s remarks underscore the SP’s strategy to frame the contest as a battle to protect the Constitution, democracy, and economic justice — while portraying the BJP as disconnected from the ground realities of ordinary citizens.