UP 'has been pushed into jungle raj' Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP govt

Lucknow, Jul 11 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday hit out at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh and alleged that law and order has completely collapsed and criminals are operating without fear under the present regime.
     The former chief minister said the BJP government had once claimed that criminals would either give up crime or leave Uttar Pradesh, but in reality only criminals feel safe in the state today.
     "The truth is that only those who escape the attention of criminals are secure. The entire state has been pushed into jungle raj," he said in a statement.
     Yadav alleged that crimes such as murder, robbery, dacoity and rape have become daily occurrences.
     "Police are unrestrained, the chief minister is lost in self-admiration through his speeches and the administration is in deep slumber," he said.
     The Samajwadi Party chief cited a series of recent incidents to underline his criticism of the state's law and order situation.
     Yadav said that not a day goes by without reports of serious crimes even from the state capital Lucknow.
     "Dalits are bearing the brunt of this misrule. In one place, dominant caste members assaulted Dalits for playing a DJ during a wedding procession, while in another case, a ruckus broke out when a Dalit groom mounted a horse," he added.
     Referring to a recent case in Barabanki, the Samajwadi Party chief said that a Dalit youth named Shailendra Gautam was brutally beaten after being stopped from entering a temple.
     He also mentioned the incidents of sexual violence in Kasganj and Aligarh, and thefts and lootings reported from Saharanpur and Mathura.
     "The fact is that people in the state are living in constant fear. The BJP government has failed on all fronts and Uttar Pradesh's reputation is being tarnished globally," he said, adding that women and girls are being humiliated while law and order has completely broken down.
     Yadav further said the deteriorating law and order situation is driving away investments and industries from the state.
     "Even those industries already set up here are considering leaving. The chief minister continues to make grand claims, but none of them reflect on the ground," he added.
     Highlighting lack of accountability, the former chief minister said it was ironic that a senior IAS officer accused in a major scam has been absconding for a long time and police have failed to trace him.
     "Whether it is religious conversions or terror conspiracies, their detection is always delayed. People are fed up with the BJP's governance and are now only waiting for the 2027 assembly elections to vote them out," he added.

(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)