Shah's remarks on CAA show intolerance: Akhilesh

Reacting to Union Home Minister Amit Shah's statement that the CAA will not be withdrawn, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said it reflected intolerance as the BJP "wants to crush people with the road roller of its majority".

Lashing out at the BJP, the former UP CM said the saffron party is making "intolerance" as its identity.

"Playing with basic principles of the democracy, the BJP is going ahead with making intolerance its identify. Shah's statement that he would implement the CAA at any cost shows that the government wants to crush people with the road roller of its majority," Yadav said in a statement here.

Akhilesh also claimed that the BJP was getting unpopular due to "anti-people policies".

"Due to its anti-people policies, the BJP is becoming unpopular among people. Protests are going on in the entire coutry against the CAA and the NRC due to which BJP has focused on janjagran rallies and such programmes," he said.

The SP chief said Shah's address in Lucknow "showed his frustration" over this and his party would not let the BJP-RSS agenda run in the country.

He alleged that BJP leaders have ignored people's interest and aspirations due to their ego and pride.

Citing a report, he said 16 lakh jobs in the country are going to end in 2016.

As per the National Crime Records Bureau, 35 unemployed and 36 self-employed persons committed suicide per day in 2018, he said.

"In both categories, 26,085 people lost their lives. In the country, 1,34,516 persons hanged themsleves, which included 10,346 from the farming sectors," he claimed.

The BJP does not have intentions to solve the problems of people and that is why it has brought the CAA to divert attention of people, he claimed.

Attacking the opposition for "misleading" people on the Citizenship Amendment Act, Amit Shah here at a rally said the law will not be scrapped despite the protests over it.