Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister today said that he was content with his task in Uttar Pradesh and harbours no ambitions of becoming the Prime Minister of the country.
Speaking to India TV Editor-in-Chief Rajat Sharma at the Chunav Manch Conclave in Lucknow today, the CM said: “I am happy to be the CM of Uttar Pradesh, no intention of becoming PM.”
The CM further said that staying away from Delhi was key to happiness. “People who stay away from Delhi are happier,” Akhilesh said in a lighter vein.
Akhilesh further reiterated that the Congress-Samajwadi Party alliance will together get an overwhelming majority in the upcoming Assembly polls in the state.
The Chief Minister said that the two parties will win more than 300 seats in 403-member House.
“If 50 per cent people who have benefited from schemes of my government, vote us, we will get 300 seats,” he said.
When asked to elaborate about the schemes that have directly benefited people, he replied: “55lakh women are getting Samajwadi Pension, 18 lakh laptops were distributed, MBBS seats doubled since independence, 108, 100, 109 helpline services, Kanya Vidya Dhan Yojna... there are many more schemes which directly touched the poor.”
When grilled about his overpowering clout over his father and former SP supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav, Akhilesh sought to allay all controversy surrounding it, saying the father-son relation existed in all its grace and nothing could change that.
“Samajwadi Party still belongs to him. The ‘cycle’ belongs to him. The relationship is intact, father son relationship can never change. It was necessary to distance ourselves from people who ultimately wanted to harm the Samajwadi party,” he said of the infighting.
“This is not an act of rebellion,” the 20th CM of the state added.
“Netaji is above all of us in the party. The responsibility to take Samajwadi Party forward if now with the next generation,” he opined.
Asked if Mulayam will campaign for the alliance, he said, “Our only aim is to retain the power in the state. His (Netaji) blessings are with us. Netaji will be the most happiest person if SP wins. I am sure, the SP’s thumping victory will only increase Netaji’s respect.”
“His (Netaji) photographs are in our campaign. Netaji is in our each slogans. Netaji told me that he will campaign for the alliance,” he further said.
“If I had got support of only 10 MLAs, I could have lost all respect. Even you would not have invited me,” he said when asked why he removed Mulayam from party president post despite of assurances that he will have final say in ticket distribution.
To a question on who was behind the family feud, the 43-year-old said, “Azam Khan sahab has clearly said that who created the rift in the Samajwadi Party.”
“This is not my party, this party is of an ideology. People who were conspiring against me, had gotten me out of the party. Now it is the responsibility of our generation to take this movement forward,” he added.
To a question about the BJP making deteriorated law and order situation in the state an election issue, the CM said, “People who are questioning law and order should tell how many sections were slapped against them. Look at their national president and their state president. There were so many sections slapped against them.”
Rejecting BJP’s charge of goondaraj in UP under his watch, he said, “Fund allocation to states for police modernisation has stopped since formation of NITI Aayog. BJP is in govt at Centre, they should answer this.”
“Will BJP give crime data of Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh as well?” he asked.
On joining hands with the Congress, he said, “If this friendship works, ‘27 saal UP Behaal’ will become ‘27 saal UP Khushaal’.”
“This friendship will last long.”
The Chief Minister, however, refused acknowledge that the SP has revived the Congress. “This can only be said after the results,” he said, adding that even he wanted the SP to go alone but was forced into an alliance due to the prevailing conditions.
“I initially wanted us (SP) to go alone, everything was ready but there were people who wanted to stop us. This was an initiative taken by both the Samajwadi and the Congress,” he said of the alliance.
Lashing out at the BJP for trying to gain political mileage over surgical strikes, he said, “This was not first surgical strikes, people from Army should tell us that it happened in the past as well.”
On demonetisation, he said, “Note bandi has harmed traders, they are angry with the BJP.”
Slamming BSP supreme for interfering in his family matter, he said, “The rift is in my family, what you (Mayawati) have to do with it.”
Samajwadi Party is way ahead than the BSP and the BJP, he said. “There is no contest.”
“If the BSP and the BJP say there is goondaraaj in UP, we should not trust them,” he said.
On Muzaffarnagar violence, he said, “What happened in Muzaffarnagar, I am sad about it. People behind the violence are still trying to ruin the atmosphere.”
The CM also said that the Samajwadi Party has always given Muslims equal right.
“In 2012, we were the ones with most Muslim cfandidates. We have given fair share to Muslims in all schemes according to their population.”
He rejected allegations that his government has distributed laptops to woo voters.
“Free laptops or smartphones are not for votes. We are taking PM Narendra Modi’s Digital India programme forward with laptops and smartphones distribution,” he said.
“They (BJP) only talk but we implemented various programmes. We distributed laptops even before Narendra Modi became PM,” he added.
“We're fulfilling Narendra Modi’s vision of Digital India.”
India TV is holding yet another edition of its a full-day mega conclave “Chunav Manch” right from the nerve-centre of Lucknow from where all the big political headlines are endlessly being generated for months now.
