Confident of returning to power in UP in 2022: Akhilesh Yadav; slams BJP saying 'there is anarchy all over'

Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav expressed confidence of returning to power in the state in 2022. He further said that more leaders from other parties have expressed their willingness to join the party adding that the way the SP family is growing he is confident of forming the government in the state.

Yadav gave this statement while welcoming Phoolan Devi’s sister Rukmani Devi Nishad and former party MP Ramakant Yadav into the party.

"People have seen through the BJP's game of making false promises. The BJP has been fooling people but has not delivered. There is anarchy all over. The economy is going lower and the youth are unemployed," IANS quoted the Samajwadi Party supremo as saying. Assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh are set to take place in 2022.

Coming down heavily on Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government Akhilesh Yadav accused the state government of 'eating up' one crore jobs by putting restrictions on the work of DJs in the state.

He also criticized the BJP of privatizing the dairy industry and termed it a wrong move.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party is willing to consider withdrawing its petition seeking disqualification of Shivpal Singh Yadav as member of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly if he decides to merge his Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party Lohia (PSPL) with it.

This comes after senior SP leader and Leader of Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary moved a petition, seeking disqualification of Shivpal Yadav on September 13.

"If Shivpal Yadav dissolves his party and merges it with SP, the party will consider withdrawing its petition," he said while talking to reporters.

Chaudhary said that the party has shown utmost patience in dealing with Shivpal Yadav.

Before 2017 state polls, Uttar Pradesh witnessed a massive showdown between Akhilesh and uncle Shivpal over ticket distribution. Before that, Akhilesh stripped Shivpal of key portfolios in October, widening the divide in the Yadav clan.

Shivpal was elected on Samajwadi Party ticket in 2017 from Jaswantnagar Assembly seat but later he founded his own party and contested against the SP candidate in the 2019 Lok Sabha elections.

Recently, Akhilesh Yadav had said that his doors were open for people who wanted to come into the party.

When asked about Yadav’s statement, his uncle Shivpal Yadav said there is full scope for unity in the family but some people were hatching conspiracies as they do not want unity in the family and the party.