Lucknow: Slamming the BJP govt over media reports that the state has signed an MoU related to Artificial Intelligence projects worth Rs 25,000 crore with a company which has an annual turnover of just Rs 50 lakh, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said such ill-informed decisions were taking a toll on the chief minister’s ‘Artificial Image’ created through publicity.In a couple of posts on X apparently addressed to UP CM, Akhilesh wrote: “Before signing the MoU, you should have at least consulted AI to know more about ‘Puch’.” ‘Puch’ is the company with which the state govt has signed the MoUs.Later, addressing party workers, Akhilesh said the said company was formed in 2025 and signed MoUs with the govt in 2026.“This is not the first that such hollow investment claims have been made by the govt. Such things hurt the state’s reputation,” Akhilesh said.The SP chief said such media exposes leave the upright investors disillusioned and deter them from investing in the state.He also suggested that one should stay away from “panch percentiye” and “self-centred” individuals who exploit ignorance.Here, “panch percentiya” is an apparent reference to the suspension of an IAS officer for allegedly demanding 5% commission from investors – a charge that was later found to be false and the bureaucrat was reinstated.The former UP CM said that the revelation goes on to explain that unless 5% commission is paid to the BJP coffers, nothing takes shape on the ground.‘BJP jittery of red cylinders, red caps’Accusing the central govt of handing over the entire Indian market to other countries, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said the move will hit the Indian industry and farmers hard. He said the LPG cylinder crisis has forced the common man to stand in queues. “The red LPG cylinder and the red caps (SP’s party cap) have left the BJP jittery,” Akhilesh said. He said earlier the govt quietly reduced the net content of fertilisers in the bags and now efforts are underway to do the same with LPG cylinders. “No one knows when the gas in the cylinder will be reduced from 14 kg to 10 kg,” he said.
