'Will ensure removal of Chowkidars from all the Chowkis, says Akhilesh Yadav

New Delhi, Apr 07: Samajwadi Party (SP) Akhilesh Yadav attacked both the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Congress in the first joint rally of the SP, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) and Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) alliance in Deoband.

"There is not much difference in Congress and BJP, if you will look at their policies," he said. "They are both same. This grand alliance is meant to bring change in the country, but Congress party doesn't want that, it wants to form government in UP."

Striking the chord of communal harmony in Deoband, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said Saharanpur is flanked by Mata Shakumbhari Devi on one end and Darul Uloom on the other. "There are leaders who only spread hatred. If you ask them about old promises, they will not speak on them".

Saying that the PM had referred to the SP-BSP-RLD alliance as a "milawati" alliance, Akhilesh said, this is an alliance for a great change.

''They call us 'milawat gathbandhan'... they are drunk on power. This gathbandhan is not 'milawat', this for 'mahaparivartan'. This is an alliance for electing a new prime minister. Our borders are still not secured... they have betrayed the country. This election is about change, this election is about bridging differences which they have created between us, said Akhilesh Yadav.

In a dig at Prime Minister Narendra Modi, SP chief said that earlier the public was asked to trust a "chaiwala" and now the public was being asked to trust a "chowkidar".

He said that this election was an election to create history, to bring change, elevate harmony, remove hate.

"You must have heard their leaders come and speak here. All they had to talk about was hatred. They don't want to talk about promises. In 2014, we were asked to trust a chaiwala. He promised Rs 15 lakh in every account, crores of jobs etc. Now we are being asked to trust the chowkidar. One-by-one, we will remove all the chowkidars from their chowkis," Akhilesh said.

Akhilesh was addressing the first joint rally of the alliance between the SP, Mayawati's BSP and Ajit Singh's RLD in Uttar Pradesh, which sends 80 members to the Lok Sabha.

Speaking about the policies of the BJP government at the Centre, Akhilesh said unemployment had become a serious issue across the country. "They have brought 'bure din' instead of 'achhe din'. There are no jobs, sugarcane dues are pending and the GST tax regime has destroyed small businesses in the state. BJP leaders have divided more people than the British," he said.

The SP president also mocked PM Modi's visit to the Ardh Kumbh Mela at Prayagraj earlier this year.

Speaking in his turn, RLD chief Ajit Singh told the massive gathering that the Lok Sabha election was meant to save the nation. "Ache din aa gaye...Modi ke ache din aa gaye. Bhagwan hum sab ko Modi jaisa fakir bana de," he said.

"The BJP is anti-farmer. Farming is not a matter of profit. Takht badal do taj badal do is jhooto ki sarkar ko badal do," the RLD chief said.