SULTANPUR: Highlighting his power as the chief of the Samajwadi Party, UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday not only lambasted the BJP’s demonitisation drive at his first election rally here but
also made sure his warring uncle Shivpal Yadav did not figure in the star campaigners’ list released by the party.
At Sultanpur, BJP-led Centre was Akhilesh's main target even as he chose to spare his other rival BSP in the entire speech that lasted a little over 20 minutes.
The choice of the venue surprised many as this constituency goes to the polls in later phases. However, the CM chose it considering its past. After 1969, the constituency has always elected an MLA from a party that has eventually formed the government in Lucknow.
Slamming the BJP for its pre-Lok Sabha election slogans of “Acche Din,” he asked, "Where are achhe din? Instead of fulfilling their promises, they make people hold broom and do yoga,” Akhilesh said.
The SP chief then shifted his focus to the demonitisation drive asserting the step has hit the common man badly. “The entire nation was made to stand in long queues and so many people lost their life,” he alleged adding his government helped all the families of those who lost their lives while standing in bank queues.
He also took a dig on the Central government for being devoid of any roadmap for the nation’s development. “Samajwadiyon ka rasta Vikas ka rasta hai (Samajwadis are moving on path of development),” he said and expressed his apprehension that the BJP, in order to grab credit, would include a number of ambitious development projects taking a clue from the SP Manifesto.
The UP chief minister pointed out that Samajwadis, on their own, were capable of returning to power but with Congress walking by their side, the combination was expected to breach the magical 300-figure
to form a government with absolute majority.
Meanwhile, the ruling party gave a list of its 40 star campaigners to the Election Commission which had no mention of Shivpal Yadav.
The list, which was sent to the poll panel in Delhi by SP National General Secretary Ramgopal Yadav, contains names of party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh and 38 other leaders.