Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday accused the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh of functioning arbitrarily, misusing laws and targeting political opponents, claiming that people did not have the freedom to raise questions under its rule.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, the former chief minister referred to the Allahabad High Court's observations on the invocation of the Goonda Act and termed them "extremely serious".
The high court had come down heavily on the Uttar Pradesh government last week over alleged misuse of the Goonda Act in the state, observing that cases coming before it indicate that the state government appears determined to use the stringent law as a tool of harassment.
"The BJP government is not functioning according to the law and the Constitution. As long as the BJP remains in power, the rule of law will not prevail. The government is working arbitrarily, and the police have been given a free hand," Yadav alleged.
He accused the state government of misusing laws and registering false cases to harass people and defame opposition leaders.
"The BJP government is using its power to malign opposition leaders. It is getting objectionable videos made to defame them. The high court should take suo motu cognisance of the matter," he said, adding that the Women's Commission should also take cognisance of allegations made by a woman against an official involved in making such videos.
Yadav accused the BJP government of betraying people and organisations holding protests, including panchayat assistants, and alleged that they had been made to work without their concerns being addressed.
He assured that if the Samajwadi Party returned to power, it would address anomalies in village-level jobs, end the outsourcing system and provide permanent employment. "Salary disparities in jobs will also be removed," he said.
Yadav also accused the BJP government of damaging the micro, small and medium enterprises sector and claimed that industrial areas in Lucknow's Sarojini Nagar and Kanpur had suffered. "If the government continues to import so many goods from outside, how will the MSME sector here survive?" he asked.
The SP chief further accused the BJP of being "anti-democratic" and said people were threatened and harassed for questioning the government. "In a democracy, people must have the freedom to ask questions. But under the BJP government, if someone raises the problems of a village, city or school, action is taken against that person," he alleged.