KANPUR: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday tore into the BJP during a Kanpur rally, vowing justice for Shiksha Mitrs and slamming the ruling party’s handling of the city and utilities.
Drawing from his multiple visits, Akhilesh painted a grim picture of Kanpur under BJP rule. ‘Falsehoods have branded it Badnampur and turned it into a traffic nightmare—Jamapur,’ he charged. He mocked the rise in petty crime, suggesting even streaming platforms might dramatize Kanpur’s ‘scrub mafia’.
Akhilesh highlighted the agony caused by prepaid smart meters, dubbing them ‘torment devices’ amid soaring power bills. ‘UP’s people will sweep BJP out,’ he asserted confidently, touting SP’s infrastructure legacy from his CM days and praising Kanpurites’ astute judgment.
Extending his message to West Bengal, he urged fearless support for Mamata Banerjee, framing each vote as a bulwark against tyranny and for democratic values. On education, he lambasted BJP for undermining Shiksha Mitrs. ‘We paid them Rs 40,000 monthly; SP alone can right this wrong and protect all associates,’ he promised.
Stressing opposition’s democratic duty, Akhilesh accused BJP of engineering Muslim vote fragmentation without Election Commission repercussions. He introduced ‘PDA sentinels’ as SP’s counter-strategy. In a poignant note, he mourned Lala Pahalwan, a steadfast ally from SP’s rath yatra era, standing with his bereaved family.
With elections looming, Akhilesh’s Kanpur offensive underscores SP’s strategy to capitalize on anti-incumbency, positioning itself as the true champion of the masses.
