Akhilesh Yadav spoke in Lok Sabha today
A day after his ally Rahul Gandhi's remarks triggered an uproar in Lok Sabha, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav targeted the Narendra Modi government today with a speech laced with sarcasm and peppered with poetry.
Addressing the House during the debate on the Motion of Thanks on the President's address, the Kannauj MP raised the burning issue of paper leaks of competitive exams and also stressed that he will continue to question the EVM voting method even if his party wins every Lok Sabha seat in Uttar Pradesh.
"They said '400 par' during the election. I want to thank the people and for the first time, it appears that a defeated government is in power. The people are saying this government won't survive," he said.
In a poetic jibe at the NDA government formed after the BJP, which fell short of majority, tied up with its allies to cobble together the required numbers, he said, "Upar se juda koi taar nahi, niche koi adhaar nahi, adhar mein jo hai atki hui, woh toh koi sarkar nahi." The lines mean there is no foundation on which this government stands.
"The whole of India knows that INDIA is pro-India," he said, claiming that the Opposition bloc has scored a moral victory in this election.
June 4, he said, marks the country's independence from communal politics. "The politics of breaking has been defeating and the politics of uniting has won."
The government, he said, says that India is now the world's fifth-largest economy. "But why does the government hide how are we placed in per capita income, where we stand on hunger index, happiness index," Mr Yadav said.
"I want to say that the country won't be run by personal ambitions, but by what people want. Manmarzi (whims) won't work, jan-marzi (will of people) will," he said.
Focusing on Uttar Pradesh, where he comes from, Mr Yadav said the "potholes of corruption" are telling the tale of the "loot in the name of development".
"Aircraft landed on the roads we built and now boats are plying in the state's major city. This is the reality of the jumla of Smart City," he said, taking a jab at the BJP government's flagship schemes.
In a swipe at the BJP's "double-engine" slogan, he said the people of Uttar Pradesh are bearing the brunt of "oneupmanship between two persons".
"The achievement of the past 10 years is the birth of a competitive exams mafia. A youngster would prepare for the exam and take it, and then come to know that the paper was leaked. Papers of all exams were leaked. And now on June, the paper of the country's most prestigious exam was leaked," he said.
Mr Yadav was referring to the irregularities surrounding the National Eligibility cum Entrance Test that have sparked nationwide protests.
"Why are the papers leaking? The government is engineering these leaks because it doesn't want to give jobs," he alleged.
"Amrit kaal has poisoned the hopes of youngsters. The government which kills hope can neither change the present, nor better the future," he said, in a dig at the government's Amrit kaal slogan.
The victory of INDIA bloc in Uttar Pradesh's Faizabad seat, where Ayodhya is located, is the "win of the political understanding of the mature Indian voter", Mr Yadav said.
"We have heard, what Lord Ram wills, happens. This is his decision. Those who claimed they have brought someone now depend on others' support," he said. This was an ostensible reference to the 'jo ram ko layein hain, hum unko layenge' slogan that was used during the run-up to the election as the BJP claimed credit for building the Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Mr Yadav then proceeded to recite a poem on how they have brought Lord Ram's "message of love" from Ayodhya.
The Samajwadi Party chief also said his party strongly supports a caste Census. "Social justice is not possible with caste Census," he said.
On the Agniveer issue, he said, "I studied in a military school. Many of those with me are in the forces. I have spoken to my seniors, who are officers now. They may not tell you, but they have told me that schemes like Agniveer are compromising national security. Whenever INDIA bloc will come to power, Agniveer scheme would be discontinued," he said.