Lucknow, Nov 11 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said the political battle in the state is no longer between 80 and 20 per cent but between 95 and five per cent, alleging that the majority comprise people who are suffering, distressed and humiliated, while the remaining five per cent are exploiters.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had popularised the "80-20" formulation ahead of the 2022 assembly elections, describing the political contest between 80 per cent and the remaining 20 per cent.
"The fight is no longer between 80 and 20 per cent. It is now a fight between 95 and five per cent. Ninety-five per cent of the people who are suffering, distressed and humiliated are on one side, while five per cent of exploiters are on the other," he said.
"When there is a fight between 95 and five per cent, BJP leaders will not even know where they have landed. That is why their language and behaviour have changed," Yadav added.
Asked about his possible plans of visiting the Ram temple in Ayodhya, the SP chief also announced that he would go there besides Kedareshwar temple in Etawah and Vrindavan.
"Not just Ayodhya, we will also visit Kedareshwar and Vrindavan," he said.
Yadav also gave a new meaning to the party's PDA slogan, describing it as "First Darshan, Then Blessings".
"Both Shiva and Ram are present in our family. We have both -- uncle Shivpal and Ram Gopal Yadav with us.
"Awadhesh (Ayodhya MP Awadhesh Prasad) and Pawan (Ayodhya assembly candidate Pawan Pandey ) are also with us. So why is the BJP so nervous?" he said.
Earlier, Pandey had said that Yadav would visit Ayodhya on December 12 to offer prayers to Ram Lalla.
Taking a dig at the government over alleged irregularities in voter lists, Yadav drew a parallel between reports of a drug seizure and the deletion of voters' names.
"Newspapers reported that cannabis worth Rs 1.27 crore was seized. On the other hand, there is talk of 1.27 crore votes being deleted. What a strange coincidence," he said.
Demanding measures to ensure transparency in elections, he suggested that voters be issued metal identity cards that could not be duplicated or copied. He also called for linking voter lists with Aadhaar.
Targeting the BJP government over infrastructure development, Yadav claimed that Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra Metro projects were initiated during the SP government's tenure.
"Lucknow, Kanpur and Agra Metros were the contribution of the Samajwadi Party government. The BJP government has not been able to extend the metro network even by 10 centimetres in 10 years," he said.
He also alleged corruption in the tendering process, claiming that it had adversely affected the riding quality of roads and expressways and contributed to an increase in accidents.
(This story has not been edited by THE WEEK and is auto-generated from PTI)