BJP formed govt in 2022 by 'misusing power and killing democracy': Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said that people of the state had made up their mind to form his party's government in the 2022 assembly elections but the BJP misused power and formed the government by "killing democracy".

Yadav said this while addressing the Samajwadi Party workers at the party headquarters here.

"BJP's slogan of 'Sabka Saath Sabka Vishwas' is a farce. In the 2022 assembly polls itself, the people had decided to get freedom from the BJP government but it formed the government by misusing power and killing democracy. The lesson taught to the BJP by the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections has increased its frustration," he said, according to a statement.

In the 2022 polls, the Samajwadi Party (SP) had won 111 seats while the BJP had won 255 seats in the state.

Asserting that the Samajwadi Party would form the government in Uttar Pradesh again in 2027, Yadav said the party workers are ready to deal with any "conspiracy" of the BJP now.

"Samajwadi and PDA will leave no stone unturned to defeat the BJP government by fighting the politics of lies, rumours and propaganda of the BJP," he said.

PDA is an acronym given by the Samajwadi Party chief for the 'picchde' (backwards), Dalit and Alpsankhyak (minorities) during the 2022 polls.

Yadav said that at this time there should be no laxity in the fight to save the Constitution.

Reiterating the party's demand for caste census, Yadav said, "If the Constitution is saved, reservation will be saved. The PDA family has to be expanded. SP is in favour of giving rights and respect to every section of the society. For this, it demands caste census."

The Samajwadi Party is determined to conduct caste census, if voted to power, so that all castes can get a share at every level on a proportional basis on the basis of their numbers, he added.

Yadav also alleged that incidents of rapes have increased bringing bad name to the state worldwide and said that injustice was meted to the families of rape survivors.

Stating that law and order has collapsed in the state, he also alleged that PDA is being targeted deliberately by the BJP.