'Mission UP' in mind, Samajwadi Party holds cycle yatras in Uttar Pradesh

Lucknow, Aug 05: With an eye on the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday held a "cycle yatra" to raise issues such as price rise, unemployment, farm laws and crime rate.

Though "cycle yatras" were organised across the state at the tehsil-level to mark the birth anniversary of veteran socialist leader Janeshwar Mishra, the purpose, political observers say, was to galvanise the party ahead of the elections early next year.

Before pedalling down the streets of the state capital, Yadav told reporters at the Samajwadi Party (SP) headquarters that his party will win 400 seats in the assembly polls.

"I was saying that we will win 350 seats. But seeing the anger of people, I can say we can now win 400 seats," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said. Uttar Pradesh has 403 assembly seats.

Flaying the BJP government in the state over the management of the COVID-19 pandemic, Yadav said, "I condole the death of all those who died during the second wave of the coronavirus."

"The government did not help those who lost their family members. It could not arrange oxygen and medicines and left people to die," he said.

Targeting the BJP for allegedly inducting criminals, Yadav said that as elections are nearing, the saffron party has put its ideology on the back-burner. "Party has not read its election manifesto (of 2017). Now it is concentrating on 'money-festo'. The BJP has no work culture and could do nothing in the past over four years except renaming projects of the previous SP regime," he charged.

The BJP has made Uttar Pradesh the number one state in terms of number of malnourished children, custodial deaths and disposing bodies in Ganga river, Yadav alleged. Taking a swipe at Yogi Adityanath, he said that as the chief minister did not know how to operate a laptop, he did not distribute it to children.

"He (CM) must not be knowing about DNA and its full form. You (media) persons can go and ask him," he said when asked about laying the foundation of a forensic science institute in the state capital.

Yatras, which covered 5-10 km in all districts, were taken out to protest the "anti-people" policies of the ruling BJP, price rise, unemployment, farm laws, rising crime and to demand release of jailed leader Azam Khan, the party said.