Uttar Pradesh deputy CM Pathak accuses SP of opposing democracy, slams Akhilesh for allying with Congress

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday accused the Samajwadi Party of opposing democracy and criticised its chief Akhilesh Yadav for allying with the Congress, which imposed the Emergency and jailed "guardian of democracy", Jayaprakash Narayan In an official statement issued here, Pathak said Yadav's politics is based on nepotism and selfishness, whereas the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is a party of all communities, working in accordance with Baba Saheb Dr. Bhimrao Ambedkar's Constitution.

The BJP leader said the Congress with which Yadav is sharing the stage today had imprisoned a person like Jayaprakash Narayan, who was a "guardian of democracy".

"On one hand, you garland the statue of Jayaprakash Narayan, and on the other, you form an alliance with those who jailed him. This is political hypocrisy," Pathak said.

The SP is conspiring to gain power by working shoulder to shoulder with the Congress -- the same party that imposed the Emergency and crushed democracy, he added.

Pathak said the SP has no regard for the Constitution or democratic principles, focusing only on grabbing headlines and seizing power.

The deputy chief minister noted that the BJP is celebrating Jayaprakash Narayan's birth anniversary across the country and the world. He said, along with several Jan Sangh and RSS workers, many socialist leaders were also jailed during the Emergency, but the SP has "forgotten" their sacrifices and is seeking power with the help of Congress.