Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday targeted the BJP, saying the ruling party, by not conducting a caste census, is “depriving everyone of their rights and respect”.
Addressing a meeting of his party MLAs and prominent workers at Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia Auditorium here, Yadav said the “Samajwadi Party has always been fighting the battle for social justice”.
“Only by conducting caste census will every section of the society get participation and corresponding rights. By not conducting the caste census, the BJP is depriving everyone of their rights and respect,” he was quoted as saying in a statement issued from the SP headquarters.
Meanwhile, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said calculation plays the most important role in a democracy.
Without making any mention of the SP chief, the BJP leader said in a post on X, “Calculation plays the most important role in a democracy. Be it vote counting, census or caste census. It is only through all these calculations that a democracy becomes stronger. Democracy itself means calculation.”
According to the statement, Yadav said the “BJP is engaged in its old work of conspiracy. It wants votes by cheating. The BJP is bent upon humiliating the mandate through various means of influencing democracy.”
He alleged that “every state government does public welfare work but the BJP conspires to destroy the fairness of democracy by making political use of the facilities given to the beneficiaries for its own politics.”
Yadav also termed the BJP “a threat to democracy”. “Therefore, socialists have to work with full devotion to save democracy. No stone should be left unturned anywhere in the 2024 Lok Sabha elections. This is a historic opportunity to remove the BJP from power at any cost. Don’t let this opportunity slip away.”
The former chief minister said that to win the elections, attention will have to be paid to the voter list. All the party officials, leaders and workers should engage in an intensive public relations campaign at the booth level day and night to save democracy, he said.
Claiming victory in the Lok Sabha elections to be held next year, the SP chief said the Samajwadi Party and the PDA-backward classes, Dalits and minorities will work together to remove the BJP from power.
Earlier on Saturday morning, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) president Mayawati demanded a caste census in the country and said it has now become necessary for the central government to take positive steps on this issue without any delay.
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