Middle-class voting against BJP: Akhilesh Yadav on PM's "Mangalsutra" scare

LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who is part of the INDIA bloc, took on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) for Prime Minister Narendra Modi's "Mangalsutra" remarks at a public rally, saying that the middle class who is also affected by unemployment and inflation is voting against the ruling party.

"Those who had taken away hard-earned money of poor and women during demonetization are talking about jewellery today. The truth is that the middle class, who have one or two pieces of jewellery, is also voting against the BJP because the middle and lower middle-class people are also affected by unemployment and inflation just like the poor, farmers, labourers, youth, backwards, Dalit, minorities, half of the population of women, tribals as well as the sad and oppressed upper castes," Yadav said in a post on 'X'.

The Samajwadi Party chief asked the need for spreading such lies in the hope of getting some votes by the BJP if it is confident of winning more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha polls.

"The lies that the people in the highest positions in the BJP are spreading against Congress by saying absurd things in the election rallies are exposing the lies of the BJP itself. On one hand, they are claiming that they are going to win by getting 400 seats; on the other hand, they want to get some votes in the election by scaring the public by asking what will happen if the opposition wins. The truth is that they are putting their thoughts into someone else," Yadav said.

Yadav said that the remarks by the Prime Minister were an insult to the particular community and a blow to the secular and democratic identity of the country.

"Saying wrong things about a particular community by naming it is an insult to that community spread across the world. At the international level, this has hurt the secular and democratic identity of the country. This is a very objectionable statement, which cannot be forgiven," the Samajwadi Party chief said.

Yadav said that even BJP's own supporters are not voting for it and is a sign of "desperation" and "admission of defeat" in the ruling party.

"BJP is giving such a statement because even its supporters are not voting for it. After the first phase of voting, this statement of desperation is the first statement, and also the trend of the BJP government going out of the country. This is BJP's admission of its defeat," the Samajwadi Party chief said.

Hitting out at the BJP's alleged intention of amending the Constitution once it wins more than 400 seats in the Lok Sabha, Yadav said, "Only those who have the intention of destroying the Constitution can use such unconstitutional language."

Questioning the action of the poll body after such controversial remarks, Yadav said, "Will the Election Commission allow anyone to contest elections after such a statement? History will remember this and history will never forgive the BJP for this."

Earlier on Saturday Prime Minister Narendra Modi alleged that the Congress wants to take away the gold and property of people and distribute it among "those having more children."

While stressing the importance of 'Mangalsutra' (traditional Indian jewellery worn by married Indian women) for women, he said that no government has the power to snatch it away.

"When they (Congress) were in government, they said that Muslims have the first right over India's resources. So, they will distribute this wealth (property and gold) among those having more children, among illegal immigrants...this Urban Naxal thinking won't even spare your Mangalsutra," the Prime Minister said.

The Lok Sabha polls are being held in India in seven phases, from April 19 to June 1 to elect the 543 members of the 18th Lok Sabha.