Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday attacked the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) fiercely, alleging it was engaging in systematic land grabbing in Uttar Pradesh at the behest of government officials and local authorities.
Addressing a press conference, Yadav alleged that BJP workers, with the help of the police and administration officials, were forcibly taking over land using bulldozers.
Referring to the case of senior SP leader Mata Prasad Pandey, he accused BJP supporters, along with the police, of trying to stop a construction project by sending bulldozers. "The BJP workers were actually inside the bulldozer's bucket, assisted by the police and the senior-most officers of the area," he said.
Yadav also targeted the government for its unfulfilled promises in Gorakhpur, a stronghold of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He said the BJP had announced a metro rail project in both Jhansi and Gorakhpur, but nothing had materialised in over a decade.
“If they genuinely cared about Gorakhpur, they would have fulfilled their first promise. Despite 11 years of BJP rule in Delhi and nine years in the state, there’s still no metro,” he said.
Alleging a massive fraud was taking place in Gorakhpur, the erstwhile chief minister said, "If the reality of Gorakhpur is exposed, then a corridor of custody will have to be constructed there and not one of heritage."
He also accused that the land was being purchased at undervalued prices to serve vested interests associated with the BJP.
"We want compensation in Gorakhpur paid at market rates. When it came to their own property, they saw to it that they got maximum compensation and boasted of their largesse," Yadav alleged, accusing the government of running a "loot system" in the guise of corridor development.
Referring to the BJP's recent defeats in the Ayodhya and Prayagraj Lok Sabha seats, Yadav indicated that Gorakhpur and Mathura may follow suit. He indicated that there was public anger in the two places owing to misgovernance and corruption.
Yadav also referred to some alleged scams, such as irregularities at Sisodia Nursing Home and a medical college, saying hundreds of students were yet to receive their degrees.
He referred to a recent rape case of a 17-year-old YouTuber, claiming that a BJP aide was connected to the crime. "Their own advisor was forced to quit over undeclared deals. Others are keeping a low profile even though they were seriously involved in land scams," he said.
Reminding from the history, Yadav compared the situation to Nazi Germany, saying, "What used to happen during Hitler's days is happening today. He would send men in police uniforms; they send people carrying party symbols instead."
He compared the BJP government's strategy with that of the former Samajwadi regime, which he claimed had provided proper compensation for the farmers during big infrastructure projects like the Lucknow Metro and Expressway.
"If our government returns to power, we will develop a real development corridor in Gorakhpur," Yadav vowed, asserting that the city's biggest industrial unit had been set up under the leadership of Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Not stopping at that, Akhilesh also condemned the encroachment of water bodies in Lucknow. He asserted that satellite pictures depicted numerous ponds seen up to 2017, as now gone. Taking a dig at the authorities, he remarked, "To verify it, they may have to go as far as America."
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