Lucknow, Apr 15 (PTI) Had the BJP won 400 seats in the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, swords and rifles would have been out on the streets and the Constitution would have been abolished, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav claimed on Tuesday.

He also alleged a complete breakdown of law and order in Uttar Pradesh and accused the ruling BJP of spreading hatred in the society.

Addressing a press conference at the party headquarters here, Yadav said, “Anarchy is at its peak under the BJP government. Anti-social elements are openly threatening to kill and shoot people. Is this the rule of law under the Constitution?” “Had the BJP won 400 seats in the Lok Sabha elections, swords and rifles would have been out on the streets and the Constitution would have been abolished,” he added.

Responding to alleged threats made by the members of the Karni Sena, Yadav said, “These people are all BJP workers… We knew the intentions the day our NSG security was withdrawn by the Centre. But I am not going to be scared. Those who retained NSG protection are cowards, and should reject their security cover.” Clarifying his stance on monarchy and history, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief said, “We are not against kings. A king has no caste – he is just a king. History should be left behind if it becomes a hurdle to progress, social harmony and unity.” Reiterating his party’s commitment to fighting communal forces, the SP leader said, “We will continue our fight against BJP’s unconstitutional actions, injustice and atrocities.” Describing B R Ambedkar as God and the soul of the Constitution, Yadav said, “No one can be compared to Babasaheb. The Constitution is our strength.” He also accused the BJP of deliberately diverting attention from pressing issues such as farmers’ distress, unemployment, inflation and joblessness.

“The BJP doesn’t want to uphold justice or rights. It is against reservation for the PDA (an acronym he coined for ‘Pichhda’, Dalit, and ‘Alpsankhyak’),” the SP chief said.

Highlighting the alleged irregularities in recruitment, he claimed that reservations were tampered with during the selection process for police and teacher’s posts.

“In the process of recruiting 69,000 teachers, the backward and Dalit candidates were denied their rightful reservation. Even in the recent recruitment for the police force, the government didn’t release a consolidated list. The BJP is weakening the reservation system,” Yadav alleged, as he demanded that reservation be extended to the major private companies as well.

Painting a grim picture of law and order in Uttar Pradesh, the former chief minister cited incidents of murder in Azamgarh and Basti, and the burning of a youth in Prayagraj.

“These are not minor incidents. They show that the government’s ‘zero-tolerance’ claim itself has become zero,” he claimed.

The SP leader also alleged widespread corruption and negligence in the public healthcare system in Uttar Pradesh.

“If lessons were learnt from the deaths due to oxygen shortage in Gorakhpur, incidents of hospital fire in Jhansi and Lucknow could have been avoided,” he said.

Claiming that the Yogi Adityanath government’s time is up, Yadav said, “The BJP is scared of the strength of the PDA.” He also accused the state government of allowing corporate monopolies in wheat procurement, resulting in higher flour prices and profiteering.

Highlighting the achievements of the previous SP regime, Yadav said, “We built the Agra-Lucknow Expressway, and started Metro rail projects — all Metro trains running in Uttar Pradesh today were initiated during our tenure. Other states are now replicating our model.” PTI ABN ARI