Etawah (Uttar Pradesh) [India], August 28 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the party is "afraid of questions" and does not want poor people to become educated and empowered.
Addressing the issue of education, Yadav told reporters that the BJP does not want poor people to become educated, claiming that education enables citizens to question those in authority.
"They do not want anyone to get an education. Feudal people, majoritarian people, and powerful people do not want the poor to become educated, because if a poor person becomes educated, they will question them, and they are afraid of questions."
Targeting the BJP, he said, "BJP people are the most afraid of questions, and whoever is afraid of questions weakens democracy and the Constitution of Babasaheb Bhimrao Ambedkar."
Yadav also accused the party of altering history and changing textbooks.
"History is being altered, books are being changed, a chapter of old great men is removed, and RSS puts its own great men whom it considers great into books. So what do they want to show? They want to change the history of the country," he alleged.
Calling the BJP a major challenge for the country, the SP chief said, "There is only one crisis in the country, and that is the Bharatiya Janata Party. The Bharatiya Janata Party is the crisis; once the BJP is removed, all crises will end."
Yadav also questioned whether the decisions taken by the BJP government have benefited the common people.
"The public of the country... and whatever decisions the Bharatiya Janata Party has taken so far, has it been in favour of the public?" he said.
Taking aim at the Uttar Pradesh government over development and public facilities, Yadav alleged that projects in Etawah and Safai were neglected.
"Talk about Etawah, they ruined the Lion Safari. Their MLAs and ministers have occupied land, and they are not talking about that," he alleged.
He further accused the BJP government of failing to maintain educational institutions and public facilities.
"They ruined stadiums, they closed schools and colleges, they ruined the hot-cooked school food that was supposed to be given under the mid-day meal scheme, and they ruined the aquatic centre in Safai," Yadav said.
Alleging selective action on encroachments, Yadav questioned the government's demolition drives.
"I heard that the Chief Minister went to drink tea in an illegal house. The house whose map is not approved, the Chief Minister is drinking tea in that house, and he is roaming around the entire state for demolition," he said.
Yadav also raised issues related to inflation, infrastructure and agricultural markets, saying political discussions should focus on public concerns.
"Apart from hatred, division in society, casteism, Hindus and Muslims, there is nothing else. You ask questions about inflation. You ruined the expressway, you didn't build mandis -- you ask about that," he said. (ANI)
"They do not want anyone to get an education": Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP, says party weakens democracy
