Akhilesh: BJP giving religious colour to Ganga cleaning

October 11, 2014 03:23 am | Updated October 18, 2016 03:03 pm IST - LUCKNOW:

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav

The three-day national convention of the Samajwadi Party concluded here on Friday with the party reinforcing its anti-BJP stand as well as the SP’s socialist and secular agenda. Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav slammed the BJP’s attempts to give a religious colour to the cleaning of rivers. Describing the rivers as “socialist and secular”, Mr. Yadav said cleaning the Ganga alone and leaving the other rivers will not help.

“Don’t forget to continue struggle against injustice, atrocities and inequality, mistrust between communities has to be removed,” Mr. Mulayam Singh said as he brought the curtains down on the ninth national convention of his party at the Janeshwar Mishra Park on Friday. Lucknow, the birthplace of Samajwadi Party, hosted the national convention after a gap of about 22 years --- the last meet here was held on November 12, 1992 when the party was born.

Aware that a generational change had taken place in 22 years, Mr. Singh exhorted the youth to shoulder responsibility of taking the party forward on the strength of its policies and programmes. They were also reminded of the long struggle waged by him and other leaders which had enabled the Samajwadi Party to attain its present status.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister , who was present on all the three days of the convention spoke only in the concluding session on Friday. In fact, Mr. Yadav and the SP chief were the only two speakers on the last day. In a reference to the BJP, Mr. Yadav said a communal agenda is being promoted by some forces and pointed towards the dual challenge posed to the Samajwadi Party from the capitalist forces and the communal agenda. “Be prepared to take on the dual challenge”, the Chief Minister said.

Stating that some parties were not implementing their poll manifesto, Mr. Yadav lampooned the BJP’s agenda of cleaning the rivers and accused it of giving religious connotations to the task. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister blamed the Centre for the power crisis in the State. Taking a swipe at the BJP, Mr. Yadav said the people of the State had elected 71 MPs of the party, “but what have they done for the State”. He asked the workers to take a resolve for returning to power in 2017.

Note of caution

Samajwadi Party president Mulayam Singh ringing a word of caution against the possibility of “some forces” trying to seek political mileage from the firing on India’s border by the Pakistani army. Making an impassioned plea to preserve brotherhood and amity - the cornerstone of Samajwadi Party’s policies - Mr. Singh, who is now also being looked upon as party patriarch, said there is a conspiracy to disrupt communal harmony. Even as the Samajwadi Party chief cautioned against the threat to disturb communal harmony, in a significant political posturing towards the Backward Castes, Mr. Singh supported the demands of those Backward Castes, which have been denied Mandal Commission benefits. These are mostly Most Backward Castes (MBCs). Telling the deprived BCs not to be disappointed, Mr. Singh said he would talk to the Centre, and added that the initiative will have to be taken by the State Governments, also.

Mr. Singh’s stand on the issue assumes significance in the backdrop of Janata Dal (United) president, Sharad Yadav’s presence on the opening day of the national convention and the possibility of a political realignment of the Backward Castes.

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