UP polls: Amit Shah cautions Jayant over tie-up with Akhilesh

Bulandshahr, Feb 3: BJP leader Amit Shah on Thursday cautioned Rashtriya Lok Dal president Jayant Chaudhary over his party's tie-up with Samajwadi Party, saying Akhilesh Yadav does not even listen to his father and uncle then how would he listen to him.

Addressing a poll event in Anupshahr assembly constituency in Bulandshahr district of western UP, the Union Home Minister also claimed that the SP will not be able to form government in Uttar Pradesh. Lauding the Yogi Adityanath-led government in UP since 2017, Shah hit out at Yadav, a former chief minister, and asked if the Samajwadi Party chief can keep law and order in check in the state.

“He does not meet people, does only press conferences and has our Jayant ji by his side. Sarkar warkar to banni nahi hai ye samajh kar chalna… but Jayant Chaudhary thinks if the government is formed, Akhilesh babu would listen to him. Jayant babu, it's a fallacy. Someone who does not listen to his own father and uncle, how would he listen to you,” Shah said.

He claimed that as such the SP is not going to form the government in UP but in case it does, then the RLD chief would be pushed out “on the third day” only and Azam Khan, the jailed SP leader, would replace him. The senior BJP leader on the occasion hit out at previous SP, BSP governments over procurement of crops by the state, and said the situation has changed under Prime Minister Narendra Modi's regime, with farmers' crops being procured at MSP rates. He credited his BJP with public welfare schemes like direct cash transfer into accounts of the poor, ration distribution, providing power supply for longer duration, connecting homes with power lines, building toilets, among others.

“Why could you (the SP, BSP) not do this? It's because they gave contracts to only one caste and engaged in corruption,” he alleged.

Shah was in the district to seek support for Sanjay Sharma, the BJP's assembly candidate from Anupshahr. Anupshahr in Bulandshahr district is one of the 58 assembly constituencies in western UP where voting will take place on February 10. Election results will be declared on March 10.