Lucknow, March 26 -- Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday attacked the BJP governments at the Centre and in Uttar Pradesh, alleging that they failed to address inflation, unemployment and key governance challenges and instead relied on "propaganda" and "event-based politics". Talking to mediapersons here, Yadav said that under the BJP rule, people are "standing in queues for basic needs", such as cooking gas. Questioning the government's preparedness in dealing with rising costs and supply issues, he alleged that changes in LPG cylinder supply were not matched with adequate production planning. Targeting the BJP's governance model, Yadav said its decisions push citizens into dire difficulties. The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also demanded a thorough probe into the recent memoranda of understanding (MoU) signed by the state government, alleging that several agreements were inked with companies lacking strong financial backgrounds and were aimed at creating a "false narrative" of investment.

On technology, he said India has significant potential to use Artificial Intelligence (AI) in agriculture, particularly for predictive analysis and improving farm productivity, but the government has failed to create a supportive ecosystem or provide adequate training. He accused the BJP of spending large amounts on negative campaigning and damaging the image of opponents, claiming that it relies heavily on propaganda rather than governance. Commenting on India's global standing amidst the conflict in West Asia, Yadav said the country has "missed an opportunity" to strengthen its position internationally due to the Centre's wrong economic and diplomatic policies. Hitting out at the state government over the rising human-animal conflict, he alleged that deforestation and illegal mining have forced wild animals out of forests, leading to attacks on people and farmers in the villages. Several lives have been lost in districts like Sitapur, while the forest department remains inactive, he alleged. On environmental issues, the Samajwadi Party chief alleged that major rivers in the state -- including Ganga and Yamuna -- are heavily polluted, with garbage accumulation and poor sanitation visible in many places.

Published by HT Digital Content Services with permission from Millennium Post.