BSP govt ‘patthar wali sarkar’: Akhilesh; Mayawati hits back

Lucknow, January 22

Terming the previous BSP government as “patthar wali sarkar”, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday alleged that it did nothing except for installing stone statues of elephants, its election symbol, a charge refuted by BSP supremo Mayawati.

Releasing the SP manifesto as the new president of the ruling party, Akhilesh said, “Previous ‘patthar wali sarkar’ has done nothing for UP except erecting stone statues of elephants.”

“If BSP comes to power again, its government will install bigger statues of elephants,” he said, attacking Mayawati.

The BSP chief instantly hit back, saying, “By mentioning our symbol elephant, Akhilesh has given free publicity and our party is grateful for this.”

She dubbed the SP manifesto as “mere formality and publicity gimmick”.

“It (manifesto) has been prepared to befool people as SP government did nothing in past five years and people are fed up with its misrule. SP should have introspected itself on what it had done to fulfil earlier promises,” she said.

“The SP government should have sent hooligans and mafias behind bars. But it failed and law and order of the state is worse,” she rued.

She asked as to why people of the state should rely on “tainted face of the head of the corrupt and criminal, government, in which incidents of communal riots rose”.

Akhilesh earlier said that while SP was anxious for the state’s development, BSP was preoccupied with ‘elephants’, bigger statues of elephants to surpass the huge statue of Janeshwar Mishra.

“If she takes a cue from Maharashtra and starts competing with it, she will spend all money in state exchequer on installing statues bigger then that of Shivaji in Maharashtra,” he said causing peals of laughter among party workers.

“Our government has a lot of achievements, but she (Mayawati) has nothing to mention,” he said.

While announcing free pressure cooker scheme for poor women, Akhilesh said, “This idea should have dawned on her first. She should have thought about it, but SP has stolen a march over her by announcing a scheme to provide free cooker to rural women.” — PTI