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The political atmosphere in Uttar Pradesh heated up on Friday after controversial hoardings targeting Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav and his party surfaced at the busy National PG College crossing in Lucknow.
The hoarding carried a stinging rhyming caption in Hindi: "Sapaiyon ka kya bharosa Chai, samosa, rasmalai, saare mafia apne bhai". The poster features an image of SP chief Akhilesh Yadav wearing a white prayer cap, placed alongside images of slain gangster-turned-politicians Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari, as well as jailed senior party leader Mohammad Azam Khan. The controversial poster surfaced in the wake of Akhilesh Yadavs recent visit to the Rampur district jail to meet Azam Khan, an engagement that drew sharp barbs from the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and its allies, who accused the SP of political opportunism and patronising criminal elements. Earlier on October 22, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav said his party is "united" to form the government in Uttar Pradesh in 2027. He asserted that the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) would be wiped out in the state, while backing the demand for a caste census and reservation in proportion to population. Speaking to ANI, Yadav said, "We are all united to form the government in 2027. And we will all work together. Azam Sahab was, is, and will always be [with us]. "Reacting to the demand for a caste census, Yadav said it had become a common demand among political parties, particularly those representing backward classes, Dalits and marginalised communities that do not receive reservation in proportion to their population. "It has now become a common demand across all partiesespecially among the backward classes, Dalits, and those who do not receive reservation in proportion to their populationthat a caste census should be conducted," he said. He added that these communities wanted reservation in proportion to their population and expressed support for the demand. "They want reservation to be granted in proportion to their population. I support this, and I believe that whether it is the Bind, Nishad, or Kashyap communitiesor any other backwards, Dalit, or marginalised groupeveryone wants reservation based on their population," Yadav said. Asked about the 33 per cent reservation for women in the Lok Sabha, the SP chief accused the BJP of deliberately delaying its implementation, saying the party could ensure greater representation for women if it wanted to. "Well, the Women's Reservation Bill has already been passed. The BJP deliberately does not want to grant this reservation to women. If the BJP truly wanted to, the reservation could be implemented today," he said. Yadav said the SP had directed that women should constitute 33 per cent of the candidates fielded by the party, describing it as a formula championed by former SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav, whom he referred to as 'Netaji'. "As for our party, we have set a clear directive: the party must ensure that 33% of the candidates fielded are womena formula that was championed by Netaji and the Samajwadi Party," he added. Responding to a question about AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi visiting Rampur and fielding candidates in the constituency, Yadav said anyone was entitled to contest elections in a democracy. "Look, in a democracy, anyone can contest elections. The people of Uttar Pradesh want to remove the Bharatiya Janata Party," he said. Predicting a decisive defeat for the ruling party in the 2027 state Assembly elections, Yadav said, "The Bharatiya Janata Party is going to be wiped out from Uttar Pradesh. No matter what conspiracies or schemes the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) may devise, they will not succeed this time." Earlier, after meeting senior SP leader Azam Khan at Rampur district jail, Yadav accused the BJP government of targeting Khan and his family through what he described as fabricated cases. He also alleged that the government had deliberately damaged Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur. "I have just met with Azam Khan, and he will receive justice. I inquired about his well-being, and we discussed how the university has been ruined... As for the injustice inflicted perhaps in all of political history, no other family has faced as many False cases as the family of Azam Khan," Yadav said. Accusing the BJP of disregarding education and targeting Khan's educational initiatives, Yadav said the alleged action against the university was part of a deliberate conspiracy. "An injustice has been perpetrated against the family of the respected Azam Khan... They have been subjected to fabricated cases. He has spent so many years in prison. The truth is that the BJP has no concern for education, nor for anything related to it... They have shown no concern for the university; in fact, they have destroyed the university (Mohammad Ali Jauhar University). A deliberate conspiracy and plot was hatched to ruin the university; perhaps no other government, or rather, no other dictatorial regime, has ever caused such devastation to the field of education on this earth," Yadav said. The visit comes ahead of the 2027 Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. Azam Khan, a 10-time MLA from Rampur Sadar and a former Cabinet minister, has been one of the SP's prominent Muslim leaders. Khan has been lodged in Rampur district jail since November last year following his conviction in a forgery case. (ANI)
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