 "SP riding on goondaism, image makeover a farce, alleges BJP")
Citing incidents of poll violence in Uttar Pradesh, BJP on Sunday alleged that Samajwadi Party's natural tendency of "supporting goons and mafia" has not changed despite the generational change in its leadership.
BJP spokesperson Sudhanshu Trivedi said Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav tried to get an "image makeover" after ousting Mulayam Singh Yadav but "his support to unruly elements" indulging in recent violent incidents indicates that his instincts remain intact.
"Breaking law and order and allowing musclemen to establish their rule of terror has been the part and parcel of Samajwadi Party's natural tendencies. The generation may have changed in Samajwadi Party, but its natural tendencies don't," he told reporters.
Trivedi cited examples of how Akhilesh told the people not to worry about not paying power bills, while his father 24 years ago asked people not to worry if they are cheating in exams.
"Akhilesh tells people not to worry if they have not paid their electricity bills and assures them that under Akhilesh Yadav government no one is going to stop them from stealing power. 24 years ago, his father Mulayam Singh Yadav told people not to worry on cheating as he will not stop them from doing so in exams. Now his son openly declares and encourages power theft. The generation in Samajwadi Party may have changed but natural tendencies of its leadership remains the same. It is part and parcel of their natural tendency," he said.
Claiming that people clearly see the tendencies of the ruling SP to support goons and unruly elements, the BJP leader said the voters have extended their support to BJP and the trend was visible in the first phase.
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"The people of Uttar Pradesh have understood the natural tendencies and ground realities of the ruling Samajwadi party and our workers will not be cowed down by such tendencies and will continue to fight more aggressively against such forces," he said.
Trivedi alleged that during the first phase of voting in UP assembly polls on Saturday when BJP workers reached a police station in Shivpolabad to get an FIR registered, they were thrashed and asked to leave.
He alleged that instead of acting on their complaint, they were shunted out of the police station by local SP leaders.
"We want to ask Akhilesh Yadav whether this is the kind of image makeover he is seeking? Whether this is the kind of discipline he is seeking to give to the people of Uttar Pradesh?," he asked.
Citing another instance, Trivedi said party MLAs Radhey Shyam was allegedly seen threatening and heckling a journalist for reporting against him.
In Sultanpur district, he said, a woman accused the SP MP of rape and was found murdered under mysterious circumstances.
"Neither the face nor the deeds of the SP government have changed. All these three incidents depict that the Akhilesh Yadav government has a double-face and stands cornered,"he said.
The BJP leader also alleged that one of the SP MLAs, Arshad Sherwala went to the extent of saying that once SP government is back, the police would not be able to "touch" Samajwadi Party strongmen.
"Such is the influence of the party which is riding high on goondaism," he said, alleging that its image makeover was a farce and the party talks about development only during the elections.
The BJP leader also trained his guns on BSP chief Mayawati, who after making law and order her poll plank in 2007 assembly polls has now sought support of mafia-turned-politician Mukhtar Ansari.
"She has now sought support of even goons to win elections. Now she is in the shadow of Mukhtar Ansari. Let us wait and watch," he said.