Akhilesh questions BJP's 'Sankalp Patra'

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday targeted BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, saying that the party did not fulfil any promise they made to the people.

"When BJP did not implement its last two 'Sankalp Patra' then how do we believe on this one? Where are those crores of jobs? Where is the smart city in Ghaziabad? BJP's speech begins with toilets and ends with it," Akhilesh said while campaigning for his party's Ghaziabad Lok Sabha candidate Suresh Bansal.

"BJP people say they will make a new country. Those who are of progressive thinking and understand people, brotherhood, can make a new country," he said.

Targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Akhilesh said, "If they can stop us at the airport then how did Chowksi flee away?"

"He (Modi) used to allege that all Yadavs are relatives," he said. In a veiled reference to Nirav Modi, he added that "If Yadav-Yadav can be relative then why cannot Modi-Modi be relative? The country wants to know."

The former Chief Minister highlighted the works of his government including Agra-Lucknow Expressway and other road constructed during his tenure.

Taking a swipe at BJP's Ayushman scheme, Akhilesh said, "India is only ahead in diseases of cancer and starvation. Poor cannot pay for their treatment. They (BJP) say they will give Rs 5 lakh for treatment but we say that poor should not be paying for treatment of any disease, the government should be paying instead."

Union Minister VK Singh is contesting from Ghaziabad parliamentary seat who had won by over 5 lakh votes in the last Lok Sabha elections.

As per the seat-sharing arrangement between SP and BSP, Samajwadi Party will contest on 37 seats and BSP on 38 seats out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in the state. On the rest five seats, their alliance partner Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) will contest on three constituencies -- Mathura, Baghpat and Muzaffarnagar.

The alliance have left two seats -- Rae Bareli and Amethi -- for UPA chairperson Sonia Gandhi and Congress president Rahul Gandhi.

Lok Sabha elections are scheduled to be held from April 11 and will go on till May 19 in seven phases. The polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in all seven phases. The counting of votes will take place on May 23.