‘Donation first, not nation first’: Akhilesh’s broadside against BJP

Prayagraj: Launching a scathing attack on the BJP govt over the alleged theft of offerings at the Ram temple in Ayodhya, Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said those who once said “nation first” now seem to believe in “donation first”.“They have played with our faith. It is a grave sin, and people's faith has been tampered with,” said Akhilesh, who is on a two-day visit to the Sangam City.Describing the incident as a matter of serious concern, Akhilesh said SP supports the protection of Sanatan Dharm, but opposes any shady dealings carried out in its name.He also remarked that the BJP's "dharmkosh" (religious fund) contains neither religion nor shame.

"The theft took place after the CCTV cameras were switched off, hurting the sentiments of every devotee of Lord Ram,” he added. The former UP CM said BJP is working on a "4-C formula" comprising chanda (donation), chori (theft), chaturai (cleverness) and chalaki (artifice). Amid the discussions surrounding the alleged Ram Mandir donation theft, there is a risk that serious issues like paper leaks may get overshadowed."

Addressing the issue of paper leaks in various competitive examinations, including NEET, Akhilesh accused the BJP govt of playing with the future of the youth. He said that while examination papers were getting leaked one after another, raising questions about them was treated as a grave offence.He further highlighted the ongoing atrocities against women and the betrayal of the youth, alleging that the BJP wanted young people to remain unemployed and uneducated.Akhilesh also accused the BJP of orchestrating organised scams over the past 10 years. He said repeated examination paper leaks and irregularities were putting the future of students and job aspirants at risk.Calling the issue a persistent failure of governance, he said the govt had failed to learn from previous incidents despite repeated controversies surrounding competitive examinations. "The BJP has not given any reply on the paper leak issue till date," he said.He also claimed that many primary schools in chief minister Yogi Adityanath's home district of Gorakhpur were closing.He further said, "If the Samajwadi Party comes to power, an annual recruitment calendar will be released. Students will be given age relaxation, and aspirants will get examination centres nearest to their homes. The entire examination system will be monitored through a CCTV network and digital tracking."The former chief minister also said the public had realised that "these people" wanted to change the Constitution and therefore defeated the BJP. He alleged that, after their defeat, BJP functionaries were hatching conspiracies through central agencies to poach Members of Parliament. "The people of the country will not accept such conspiracies," he said.Referring to the recent Lucknow inferno, Akhilesh said, "The deaths could have been prevented if the authorities had enforced safety norms. More people died due to asphyxiation than the fire itself."