Announcing his open support for West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee over the Murshidabad violence in the wake of the new Waqf law, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday solely blamed the BJP for the disturbances.

“Though several rioters have been arrested and more will be taken in custody in Murshidabad, the WB government is honestly doing its work,” he said.

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Addressing a press conference here on Tuesday, Akhilesh Yadav blamed the BJP for attempting to gain political advantage from the situation.

“The saffron brigade always seeks to take advantage of riots by playing the Hindu-Muslim card,” he charged.

Akhilesh Yadav said, “We were against the Waqf Bill earlier, and we continue to oppose it. Now, people in the government have come forward to explain the benefits of the new Waqf law, but this should have been done earlier. The government is trying to hide its failure.”

On BJP MP Nishikant Dubey’s statement, Akhilesh Yadav said, “He is the most special MP of the BJP. The things that the BJP cannot say directly are instead voiced by their MP with venom from time to time.”

Commenting on the RSS, the SP president said, “Those who play the role of ‘kingmakers’ do not wish to rule themselves. Yet, the RSS leadership has been touring UP more frequently these days.”

“The RSS has only one objective—to blame others. They often say the British introduced the policy of ‘divide and rule’, but now the BJP is following the same path. The RSS does not want to be king; it only wants to make someone else king,” he claimed.

The SP chief took a dig at the recent reshuffle of 33 IAS officers in UP. Without naming Information Director Shishir Singh, he said, “One Singh Bhai left, and another Singh Bhai came.” Shishir Singh was transferred after serving as Information Director for six years. He has been replaced by Bhadohi DM Vishal Singh.

Akhilesh Yadav said, “When I gave a statement on the prominence of a particular caste and the neglect of PDA in the appointment of SOs and SHOs at police stations, the DGP responded, but CM Yogi should have answered. After my statement, the matter was debated on 16 news channels”.

“The government adopts various means to hide its failures. If you are not aligned with their ideology, you cannot get a job. The BJP’s hatred towards PDA has been exposed. We are fulfilling our duty as the opposition,” he stressed.

Reiterating his support for party MP Ramji Lal Suman over his comment on Raja Rana Sanga, the SP chief said that Suman had not said anything wrong, but his statement was misinterpreted. “The BJP is running out of issues and is now trying to create new ones,” he added.

He further said, “School fees are becoming increasingly expensive. This is part of a conspiracy to ensure that children from poor families cannot secure their future through education. The extent of privatisation we are seeing now is unprecedented. The governments in Delhi and Lucknow are working hand in hand on this,” he alleged.

Akhilesh Yadav also took a jibe at the government over the Mudra scheme, saying, “If the government has transferred Rs 33 lakh crore to 52 crore accounts, then it means that no one needs a job anymore.”

On rising gold prices, he remarked, “Will a poor person now be able to give gold to his daughter at her wedding, when gold is considered essential? Even the poorest of the poor borrow money for their daughter’s marriage. Now tell me—when the price of gold has reached Rs 1 lakh per 10 gram, how will a poor family manage to give gold to their daughter?”