Are engines of Lucknow, Delhi colliding: Akhilesh Yadav slam Bharatiya Janata Party over its 'double-engine' government slogan

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Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav Tuesday took a swipe at the Bharatiya Janata Party over its "double-engine government" slogan, saying "This is the first time since Independence that Uttar Pradesh got its third acting Director General of Police in a row.

Yadav claimed the Yogi Adityanath government was making do with acting police chiefs instead of a full-time DGP as they were more likely to do the ruling party's bidding.

Addressing party workers at an event in Lakhimpur, Yadav asked: "Are the engines of Lucknow and Delhi colliding?"

Vijay Kumar, an IPS officer of the 1988 cadre, has been appointed as acting DGP of Uttar Pradesh. Before him, R K Vishwakarma and D S Chauhan served as acting police chiefs of the state.

With the appointment of acting police chiefs, the BJP leaders can do whatever they wish, the Samajwadi Party chief alleged.

Referring to the Lakhimpur Kehri violence in which four of the agitating farmers were crushed under the wheels of a convoy of cars in 2021, Yadav said, "BJP members have nothing to do with the law"

He also cited the wrestlers' protest demanding the arrest of BJP MP and outgoing Wrestling Federation of India chief Brij Bhushan Sharan Singh facing sexual harassment charges to say, "Our daughters had to sit on dharna for justice."

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The Samajwadi Party president alleged that several encounters have taken place in the state under the BJP rule but the "police could not produce in courts the pistols used by them in the exchange of fire".

Yadav claimed that during the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, people's enthusiasm was in favour of his party.

"But the results were contrary to people's response. People were seen with SP but the results were not in our favour. Had we managed booths, the results would have been different," he said.

The Samajwadi party chief said that the 2024 Lok Sabha polls will decide the future course of the country.

"It is the responsibility of the people of Uttar Pradesh to uproot them (BJP from power) in 2024. The new parliament building has been constructed. It may happen that you might not be able to vote in future. They might have learnt from Russia to continue ruling the country," Yadav told the gathering. (With inputs from PTI)