Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP’s ‘double engine’ model, urges public to reflect on ground realities

Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday issued a sharp statement targeting the BJP governments’ much-touted ‘double engine’ model.

He said that if those who are blindly supporting and voting for the BJP still have even a shred of patriotism, compassion, humanity, wisdom, and conscience left, they must seriously reflect on the current situation in the country.

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Posting on social media, Akhilesh Yadav said that in Uttarakhand, people have been forced to take to the streets to demand justice for the “daughter of Uttarakhand”. In Uttar Pradesh, people are dying due to poisonous syrup.

On one hand, the government talks about eliminating black money and creating an honest tax system through demonetisation and GST, while on the other, the recovery of crores of rupees in cash from the homes of GST officials exposes a stark contradiction between the government’s words and actions.

He further said that in Madhya Pradesh, people are dying due to contaminated water, and atrocities against Dalits have crossed all limits, with incidents such as the burning of pictures of Babasaheb Dr Bhimrao Ambedkar coming to light.

In Delhi, people are struggling for every breath due to pollution; in Rajasthan, farmers are protesting against polluting factories; and in Gujarat and Haryana, the general public is being forced to approach the courts to save the Aravalli range, he said.

Referring to Tripura, Assam, Maharashtra, Chhattisgarh, Odisha, and Bihar, the SP president said that in some places minorities are being attacked, in others the water, forests, and land of tribal communities are being ruthlessly plundered, and elsewhere people are neither being allowed to contest elections nor to cast their votes freely. In Bihar, despite the liquor ban, the illegal liquor trade is flourishing, but the government is turning a blind eye, he said.

He said that even if people fail to understand anything else, they should at least reflect on their declining businesses, the despair of unemployed youth, rising corruption, a toxic environment, a hateful and violent social atmosphere, and the atrocities being committed against women and marginalised communities.

He added that it is also important to think about the country’s deteriorating international image, declining investment, and the difficulties faced by Indians abroad.

Appealing to the public, Akhilesh Yadav urged them to remove the lens of communalism and seriously consider the future of their families and coming generations. He said this is the time to ask the right questions and recognise the truth.