Gonda (UP), Jan 7 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said protesting farmers should have allowed Prime Minister Narendra Modi to reach the rally venue in Punjab's Ferozepur to let him witness and address the "empty chairs" there.
Mocking the PM's security breach, Yadav said due to the cancellation of the public meeting at Ferozepur, the country was deprived of knowing why the three farm laws were brought and later withdrawn.
The Samajwadi Party chief made the remarks while narrating his own experience of once addressing a thin crowd of only 25 people at Koderma in Jharkhand despite his party men preventing him for hours from addressing the rally due to the people's failure to gather in large number.
"People and farmers of Punjab should have allowed the PM to reach the dais. He (Modi) would have felt good to see empty chairs. He should have given a speech to empty chairs as in UP also he has empty chairs in his meetings," he said mockingly.
Recalling his Koderma experience, he said his party men held him for hours before he could give his speech.
He said he was held because not enough people had arrived.
"But I went and addressed just 25 people," he said.
Reiterating his remarks, he said, I am saying that farmers should have allowed the PM to reach the empty dais and chairs.
At least the BJP and the PM then should have told why the three central black laws were brought and withdrawn. The country was deprived of knowing it and this is what I regret, he said.
The SP supremo was reacting to Wednesday's incident in Punjab when the PM's convoy had got stuck on a flyover on the Ferozepur-Moga road near Piareana village for 15-20 minutes around 30 km away from the National Martyrs Memorial in Hussainiwala in Ferozepur due to farmers blockade.
The PM had to subsequently cancel his meeting there and return to the national capital.
Launching a scathing attack at the saffron party ahead of the assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh termed the BJP government as the most jhoothi (lying) government ever seen in UP .
Their poll promises have turned out to be mere 'jumlas' (catchy but false promises) and all their advertisements have proved to be "white lies".
The airport of China, flyover of Kolkata, factories of America were shown in advertisements of UP's achievements. The BJP can speak white lies anywhere, said Yadav.
The BJP's sankalp patra' (poll manifesto) has not been fulfilled, farmers' income has not been doubled, unemployment has increased and during COVID when there was lockdown, they had left people as orphans, the SP president said.
The SP chief, whose party had earlier put off his rath yatra from Gonda on Friday due to a spurt in coronavirus cases in the state, unveiled a statue of deceased SP leader Pandit Singh and later attended a prayer meeting in his respect.
Taking a dig at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on speculation over the assembly seat from which he would contest, Akhilesh Yadav said if Adityanath gets no ticket to contest from any assembly seat, he would be ready to field from his own party.
"The CM is seeking a ticket for assembly from different constituencies but no one is giving it to him. All BJP senior leaders are unhappy,he thinking that they all sweated it out for the party but Yogi Adityanath was enforced upon them, Yadav said.
On the BJP's poll campaign tour, Jan Vishvas Yatra, Yadav said the BJP should take out a 'jan mafi rally' instead to tender an apology to the people for failing to provide relief during the corona pandemic.
On speculation over which seat he himself would contest the assembly polls, he said, "My party will decide whether I will fight or make others fight."
A day after the Adityanath government slashed the electricity bills on farmers' tubewells, Yadav claimed that his party's promise to provide 300 units of domestic power free has unnerved the BJP government.
"The farmers will now decide if they want power free of cost or at half the price, he said.
On the upcoming Ram Temple in Ayodhya, Yadav said it could have been completed in one year but the BJP wanted to take votes in the name of the temple.
Vote is important for them, he said.
Asked about his Thursday meeting with the RLD chief Jayant Chaudhary, he said, "Seat adjustment with alliance partners will be finalized soon."
SP has forged a pre-poll alliance with RLD and some regional parties including the one of Om Prakash Rajbhar for the elections in the politically crucial state.
On the BJP targeting his party for allegedly sheltering mafia during its government, he asked the BJP to issue a list of its leaders.
This will prove that the BJP has the maximum number of criminals in its fold, he asserted.
