Akhilesh banks on youth connect

Raj Kumar Yadav (20) failed to find a vantage point to have a glimpse of Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav at a rally at the Amuara Kalan Bheemapar ground in Saidpur Assembly constituency in the district.

He, therefore, climbed up a nearby tree. Many like Raj Kumar preferred the trees rather than being out on the ground. And much to their delight, Akhilesh took notice of their presence on the trees and asked them to ensure the victory of SP candidate Subhash Pasi, who belongs to the Dalit community.

The young chief minister did  his homework well and touched upon local issues. Ghazipur is known for sending a large number of youths to the armed forces. “I will speak to the officials concerned to set up recruitment centre in Ghazipur,” he said.

He promised to start projects to train the youths after they clear high school and intermediate to make them skilled and get jobs. Akhilesh also questioned  the BJP’s  claim to patriotism. “I want to ask BJP leaders if they visited the homes of the martyrs. We have helped the families of the martyrs,” he said.

The chief minister also sought to find fault with the BJP’s claim that the saffron party is winning the Assembly polls. “What was the need for having an army of ministers and senior leaders (BJP) in Varanasi if it is winning. They would not have had to camp there if they had worked,” he said.

He also replied to Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s jibes at him. “Modiji should reveal who he had copied when he had put on the costly suit while meeting former US president Barrack Obama,” Akhilesh said.

The SP chief listed the achievements of his government and promised that he will strive to develop the region if his party returns to power. “The Agra-Lucknow Expressway was completed in 23 months. It will be extended to Ballia and will be completed in 30 months,” he said.

While challenging Modi to tell the people, what his government had done in the past three years, Akhilesh said he is ready for a debate on the issue on the banks of the Ganga.

While concluding, Akhilesh made a reference to Jai Gurudev, a cult leader, who enjoys a large following in the region, as well as the locally famed Radha-Krishna and Janaki temples.