Akhilesh slams EC over action against Azam Khan

Badaun (UP), April 14: With controversial SP leader Azam Khan in the line of EC fire, UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav today came out in his support, accusing the poll body of taking action against the senior leader without going through his explanation.

"Azam was served notice by EC....He has replied to it. The EC, however, did not go through his reply and had taken action against him", Yadav said while addressing an election rally here in support of his cousin brother Dharmendra Yadav.

The remarks of the UP CM come a day after Khan slammed the Election Commission alleging it was acting at the behest of the Congress. The Election Commission had on April 11 banned Khan from campaigning in Uttar Pradesh and had asked authorities to initiate criminal proceedings against him for his alleged hate speeches.

Yadav said, "Whenever, atrocity is committed on SP men, the people give reply by voting in maximum numbers in favour of our party". Alleging that BJP was spending a huge amount of money on its election campaign, Yadav said that he had been telling about this to people and now newspapers are also reporting it.

"I have been saying that BJP was spending over Rs 1000 crores on its election campaign. Now, media is saying that Rs 10,000 crore is being spent on their election campaign. However, if it is probed, the figure might be more than this", Yadav said.

Charging the opposition with playing politics in the name of religion, Yadav said SP was the only secular party, which can stop communal forces from spreading its wings. "BJP is the most 'chalu' (cunning) party...No other party can match it in this regard....They can get stones drink milk...You all should remain alert from such forces", the UP CM charged.

Holding that Lok Sabha results of Uttar Pradesh would decide fate of future government in the country, Yadav said SP was going to play a crucial role in the days to come.

"Mulayam Singh Yadav is the only leader, who remains on the ground and is associated with concerns of farmers and poor...All the parties have released their manifesto but none of them have talked about farmers and poor. Their manifesto is for promoting industrialists and not for development of poor", he said.

On opposition charge that laptops distributed by the state government were being used for watching movies, Yadav said, "They (opposition) allege that students are using laptops distributed by us for watching movies...So what, if they are doing so...What is the harm in it".

PTI