11 hours ago
Akhilesh not a true socialist, says Maurya
Hitting out at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said the latter is not a true socialist. UP deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya. (HT File)
'While socialists went to jail protesting against the Emergency, Akhlesh Yadav is cosying up to those who imposed it,' Maurya said.
The deputy chief minister expressed these views during a media interaction at Sai Complex in the Pratapgarh Police Lines. Maurya was in Pratapgarh to attend a felicitation ceremony for 'democracy fighters', individuals who were imprisoned during the Emergency. He also participated in a plantation programme.
'On this very day in 1975, the Congress had murdered the Constitution and democracy. The day is being observed as 'Constitution Murder Day'. When the Congress declared Emergency 50 years ago, the media held a mirror to their actions as newspapers left their front pages blank in protest. The judiciary was stripped of its powers, and those who opposed the Emergency were jailed. The nation will never forget this dark chapter,' Maurya said.
'True socialists went to jail for opposing the Emergency. Today, Akhilesh Yadav is siding with the forces that imposed it. It only proves that he is not a genuine socialist. If he were one, he would never have aligned with the Congress. People will turn the Samajwadi Party into a 'Samaptwadi' (finished) Party,' he added.
Referring to the SP's gains in U.P. in the last Lok Sabha elections, he remarked, 'Whatever little success they had in 2024 has now faded. The results in Haryana, Delhi, and Maharashtra have made things clear.'
Responding to the recent controversy in Etawah involving two 'Kathavachaks', the deputy CM said, 'What happened was wrong. Every religious platform deserves respect. Akhilesh Yadav tried to communalise the issue, which is unfortunate.'
