Akhilesh Yadav alleges irregularities in Bihar polls

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday alleged irregularities in the Bihar Assembly polls and claimed that the opposition Grand Alliance was poised to win the election but "could not do so at the last moment".

"We wanted to talk about the irregularities done with us (in Uttar Pradesh), but a more serious one has happened in Bihar. Tejashwi Yadav was poised to make his government but could not do so at the last moment. All those who have faith in democratic values are unhappy today and asking if this is how elections will be fought," he told reporters here.

Yadav claimed that with only 14,000 more votes, the opposition alliance would have emerged as victorious in Bihar. "The Bihar election was more nail-biting than the US (presidential) polls. I do not know which trick the BJP used. This is the speciality of the BJP," the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

He said elections today have become mathematics.

"The BJP uses everything to win elections. I can give an example and also play a video to prove as to how all the officials, from the DM to police, were involved (in Uttar Pradesh). At some places, even during the checking of the body temperature while the voters were going in to cast their votes, they were threatened that such a temperature would be shown which would directly shift them to a hospital and ambulances were also deployed," Yadav said.

He asserted that the SP would not leave the path of development come what may and claimed that the party's schemes were being repackaged by the current BJP-led government.

"I can say it on record that we had given farmers and women pension. Maximum bank accounts and bank branches were opened during the SP regime and online transfer of money had also started, but this government only indulges in publicity and we will also do the same now," Yadav said.

He also hit out at the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh for its claims of giving 50 lakh jobs, asking it to name the departments where these jobs were provided. He also asked what happened to the claims of investments worth over Rs four lakh crore in the state, as claimed by the government.

"When the time comes, we will bring a scheme and spell out the details of where we will be giving jobs to youngsters," the SP president said.

At least three farmers of Ayodhya also spoke at the press conference and recounted their problems at the hands of officials over land acquisition in their villages for the Sri Ram Airport and development of Ayodhya.

They alleged that the officials were harassing them for signing the agreement under which their land is being acquired at very low rates. They also said they met Chief Minister Adityanath over the issue, after which the atrocities of the officials went up.

Assuring all possible help from his party to the farmers of Dharampur, Ganja and Kutia gram sabhas who recounted their problems, Yadav said the government is taking land for a pious work and needs to show a big heart and revise the circle rate as there is never any dearth of money for it to serve people.

He said the compensation amount for the farmers of these villages should be six times more than what they are being offered.

Citing the example of the Agra-Lucknow expressway, the SP leader said the land for it was acquired after giving compensation to the satisfaction of the farmers.