Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘padyatra’ against the defeat of a constitution amendment bill for the implementation of women’s reservation in legislatures is “practice” for the BJP to sit in the Opposition.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said, “This ‘padyatra’ was practice. It shows that they will have to agitate like this when they sit in the Opposition. This is the first government which, while being in power, is practising how to function as the Opposition.”
The ‘Jan Aakrosh Mahila Padyatra’ earlier in the day began from Adityanath’s official residence here on Kalidas Marg and culminated at the UP Assembly.
He took a swipe at the BJP, saying never before had a ruling dispensation struggled so much for a law it had itself enacted. “Perhaps in history no government has fought so much for its own law as this one is doing. This is unprecedented,” he said.
Projecting his party’s political plank, the SP chief invoked the “PDA” (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) grouping, asserting that it would decisively challenge the BJP in the upcoming elections.
“For the first time in history, one social bloc is going to defeat them (BJP)… This bloc is PDA – the PDA family. People united by shared pain and issues will come together as one and defeat the BJP,” he said.
Yadav said the alliance of backward classes, Dalits and minorities would work towards establishing a government based on social justice.
“In the coming time, we are moving towards forming a PDA government to establish a state based on social justice,” he added.
Referring to the defeat of the government’s Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill to implement women’s quota and increase the number of Lok Sabha seats to 816, Yadav described it as a “historic democratic victory” and thanked voters and leaders of the opposition alliance.
“We express gratitude to the people and all leaders of the INDIA alliance who supported this effort. This is not just a democratic victory but also a defeat of the BJP,” he said.
Reiterating his party’s stand on women’s reservation, Yadav said, “Samajwadis have always supported reservation for women, both inside and outside the House. If anyone is trying to stall reservation, it is the BJP. We will not allow their intentions to succeed.”
He also accused the ruling party of avoiding a caste census, alleging it feared demands for rights and reservations that could follow.
“Those who do not want counting know that once a census happens, people will demand caste enumeration. And when the caste census is done, people will ask for their rights and reservations,” he said.
He further alleged that those who swore to uphold the Constitution were taking to the streets with “ulterior motives”.
“People who have taken an oath of the Constitution are roaming on the streets. The public has seen through their conspiracy and it has been exposed,” he said.
Drawing a comparison with Hitler’s propaganda machinery, Yadav alleged that the BJP was attempting to “mislead” people.
“Historians say that during Hitler’s time there was a minister for propaganda. But here, not just the government, many people in constitutional positions are involved. However, the people have understood the truth,” he said.
Asserting confidence in the Opposition’s prospects, he said, “In the coming time, we will not only remove the BJP but ensure it is removed for good.”
He also accused the state government of “failing” to ensure women’s safety.
“If we look at the data, daughters are most unsafe in Uttar Pradesh, and incidents continue to occur while the government tries to conceal them. The 1090 service has been ruined, even ambulance services have been destroyed,” he alleged.
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