BJP's "Bulldozer Policy" Dented Country's Image Abroad: Akhilesh Yadav

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday said foreign investors will not come to India as the BJP government's 'bulldozer policy' and the recent I-T "raids" at the BBC offices have dented the country's image abroad.

Talking to reporters after attending an assembly session here, Mr Yadav, referring to the recently concluded Investors Summit in Uttar Pradesh, said the ruling BJP was selling dreams to people.

The pictures of the authorities bulldozing the houses of poor people have been seen by the world. If the BJP raids an institution like the BBC and intimidates the media, do you expect people from around the world to invest in the country, Mr Yadav said.

The BJP is just selling dreams to the people that investments worth Rs 40 lakh crore will come to Uttar Pradesh, he said while referring to the Investors Summit.

"Investors came and went after taking a round of the Investors Summit. The government will not tell you that no one stayed at the tent city built by spending thousands of crores of rupees for the investors to stay. You (media) find out how many investors stayed in them. All were empty," Mr Yadav claimed.

Bulldozers used for demolishing illegal buildings have been in hot discussion in the state, inviting the sobriquet of "bulldozer Baba" for Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.

A 45-year-old woman and her 20-year-old daughter died after they immolated themselves during an anti-encroachment drive in a village in Kanpur Dehat district of Uttar Pradesh.

Referring to the death of Apna Dal-Sonelal's MLA Rahul Prakash Kol due to cancer, the former chief minister said, "Today, so many people are dying due to cancer, but you (BJP) will not build a cancer institute, you will not build a hospital." "You (BJP) are the people of the government who want to build your own temple," he said without elaborating which temple he was talking about.

On the presentation of the budget for 2023-24 in the state assembly on Wednesday, the SP president said, "Six budgets of this government have come so far. What did anyone get? No one got anything... the income of the farmers did not get doubled."

"Unemployment and inflation are at their peak. The increase in the price of diesel and petrol has resulted in an increase in prices of vegetables and food items," he claimed.

Describing the manhandling of mediapersons by security personnel during a protest by SP members in the Vidhan Bhavan premises on Monday as "unfortunate", Mr Yadav said action should be taken against the guilty.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)