Crowds are ‘brought in’ and assembled at BJP rallies: Akhilesh Yadav

Ahead of the assembly elections, scheduled for 2027, Samajwadi Party (SP) National President Akhilesh Yadav has launched his party’s campaign from western Uttar Pradesh on Sunday, a day after Prime Minister Narendra Modi inaugurated the Noida International Airport near Jewar.

The SP held a mega ‘Samajwadi Samanta Bhaichara’ (Socialist Equality and Brotherhood) rally in Dadri, which is being viewed as a major show of strength for the upcoming elections.

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Addressing the rally, held on the premises of Mihir Bhoj College in Dadri, Akhilesh Yadav launched a scathing attack on the BJP alleging that the crowds at the BJP’s rallies are not spontaneous but are assembled after “bringing people in” from elsewhere. He remarked that “in today’s era, nothing can remain hidden from cameras,” as the truth eventually comes to light.

Taking a jibe at the BJP, he noted that the party that claims to be the world’s largest political organization is forced to rely on government employees and resources to organize its rallies. He further alleged that, in some instances, students were also summoned from various locations to attend the rally and were granted leave from their studies for this purpose.

Questioning the state government’s claims regarding development, Akhilesh Yadav stated, “Seven airports were made operational, while six have shut down.” Taking a dig at the inauguration of new airports, he remarked that the government should at least provide an assurance that these facilities will not be sold to private entities.

Addressing the issue of farmers, he asserted that the BJP government has committed an injustice against them in the name of compensation. He promised that, should the SP form the government, compensation would be provided at market rates.

He pointed out that Memorandums of Understanding (MoUs) worth ₹50 lakh crore were signed, yet neither investment nor employment opportunities have materialized on the ground. He also cornered the government over the issue of youth employment, pledging to increase job opportunities once the SP returns to power.

During the event, responding to statements regarding superstitions surrounding Noida, Yadav stated that he had visited the region multiple times during his tenure and had connected Delhi, Noida, and Greater Noida through projects such as the Metro.

Akhilesh Yadav asserted that as long as the BJP remains in power, the Constitution will remain under threat. Appealing to the people to reject “negative and divisive politics,” he spoke of continuing the fight for social justice and equality.

He said, “Those who haven’t suffered the pain of oppression, injustice, and persecution cannot understand our pain. They can show sympathy, but they cannot feel our pain, which we felt when our house was washed with Ganges water. We felt this pain when we had to go to a temple and have it washed. We don’t want to eliminate those negative people, we just want to make them understand. Times have changed. Now is the time to give up their trickery and discrimination. The future is not theirs. Otherwise, today their flags have fallen, tomorrow they will be removed from their thrones of power as well.”

Earlier, Akhilesh garlanded the statue of Mihir Bhoj, the 9th-century emperor of the Gurjar Pratihara dynasty, and then purified it with Ganga water. This rally is considered the launch of the SP’s 2027 assembly election campaign. In fact, the Gujjar community is considered quite influential in western Uttar Pradesh. Around 24 seats, including Ghaziabad, Noida, Dadri, Meerut, Muzaffarnagar, Saharanpur, Bijnor, Sambhal, and Kairana, have between 20,000 and 70,000 Gujjar votes. Until now, they have supported the BJP. Now, the SP wants to break this alliance.