Lucknow, April 3 Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday stated that the Constitution is under threat and public institutions are being weakened by the government, as he announced that his party would raise awareness on the issue at the grassroots level.
Addressing a press conference here, Yadav said that the Samajwadi Party has decided to celebrate the birth anniversary of B.R. Ambedkar on April 14 at the village level, where discussions will also be held on the "crisis facing the Constitution."
"This is not 'Amrit Kaal', but a period of crisis. There is a threat to the Constitution, and we will take this discussion to the villages," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
Yadav alleged that those in power are not functioning according to the Constitution but instead follow "arbitrary rule." "We want democracy, not a single-party rule," he remarked.
"We want to strengthen democracy, but they want to impose a system that weakens it. The Constitution is our protector and our foundation, and efforts are being made to shake and weaken this foundation through institutions," he alleged.
Referring to his party's ideological roots, Yadav said the Samajwadi Party follows the Constitution given by Ambedkar, the path shown by socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia, and the legacy of "Netaji" (SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav), and aims to provide a new direction of development to society by working towards a socialist system.
He also accused the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) of functioning like "saudagar" (traders), alleging that it is focused on selling assets and privatisation, which combined with its corruption and profit-mindedness has led to rising prices.
Yadav said despite tall claims of investment, the government has not clarified how much investment has actually come in or how many jobs have been generated. He also flagged the unemployment issue, saying educated youths are not getting jobs.
Calling for unity among PDA (Picchde, Dalit and Alpsankhyak, OR Backward, Dalits, and Minorities), he said the party would work at the booth level to defeat the BJP in the 2027 state assembly elections and form the government.
He claimed that the BJP was defeated in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections due to the collective efforts of such groups and expressed confidence that similar mobilisation would help the party return to power and accelerate development in Uttar Pradesh.
Targeting the state government, Yadav alleged that law and order in Uttar Pradesh was in poor condition and that sectors such as education and health were also in bad shape.
"The health department is on ventilator and law and order has been murdered under this government," he said.
The SP chief also alleged that the BJP government was not strengthening infrastructure in primary education and that schools were being shut. He claimed this was because the government did not want people to become educated and question it.
"They want to push people towards superstition and disputes and promote a regressive mindset. That is why education has been ruined," he said.
Yadav said he would ask party workers and the SP organisation to work together to strengthen socialist ideology and collectively take on the BJP.
Without naming Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Yadav took a swipe at his recent visit to Japan, saying that despite travelling on a bullet train, "nothing was learnt from it".
On Centre's social media regulations, Yadav said that if the Samajwadi Party forms the government, it would uphold democratic values and ensure freedom for all.
Those who believe in "ek-tantra", cannot support social media and do not accept being questioned, he said.
On another question regarding remarks on "infiltrators" by Union Home Minister Amit Shah in the context of Assam elections, Yadav sarcastically asked how many infiltrators had been identified in states like Bihar and Uttar Pradesh.
"Uttar Pradesh mein kaun hai ghuspaithiya, unhe nikaalna hai baahar (who is the intruder in Uttar Pradesh, he has to be sent out)," Yadav said without naming anyone.
Yadav also slammed the design of a recently inaugurated Green Corridor road project in Lucknow, alleging it was poorly planned and causing inconvenience to the public.
He said barricading by police to regulate traffic indicated flaws in its design and held the authorities responsible. He also took a swipe suggesting that the "poor design" may have been done by the CM himself, affecting otherwise good work being done for the public, including by Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, who is also the MP from Lucknow.
He further alleged that no new power plants had been set up in Uttar Pradesh under the present government and claimed that projects such as the proposed perfumery initiative in Kannauj had been stalled.
Yadav also said that metro rail expansion had not progressed beyond what was built during the Samajwadi Party regime and alleged that incomplete works related to the Gomti riverfront had affected efforts to clean the river.
He dismissed government claims about introducing a "water metro" in the Gomti, saying no development should be expected from the current dispensation.