Akhilesh accuses BJP govt of illegal mining, corruption in UP | Lucknow News

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the BJP-led state govt, alleging that illegal mining and other unlawful activities were carried out on a large scale across UP and that corruption has reached unprecedented levels.“Natural resources in Uttar Pradesh were openly looted under the present administration. Corruption has permeated every level of the system and several illegal activities, including unauthorised mining, illicit trade in medicines, and large-scale felling of trees, continued unchecked,” Akhilesh said in a statement. The former UP CM suggested that there appeared to be “collusion between Delhi and Lucknow” in allowing illegal mining to continue. He said despite the availability of technological surveillance tools like drones, authorities failed to take action against illegal mining. He sarcastically remarked that officials seemed to have “worn black glasses” to avoid seeing crimes so that they would not be compelled to act against them. He further alleged that even when visual evidence of illegal mining emerged, the govt might dismiss such material as “AI-generated videos” to avoid accountability. Akhilesh also criticised the economic and governance situation in the state since the BJP came to power, alleging that people faced severe hardships due to inflation and unemployment. Referring to reports of cooking gas shortages in some areas, he claimed that residents faced difficulties in obtaining LPG cylinders and were forced to stand in long queues. He added that hotels and small eateries were on the verge of closure due to the shortage, while black marketing of gas cylinders allegedly increased. The SP chief held the BJP’s “double-engine govt” responsible for the situation, claiming that both engines failed to deliver relief to the public. He also accused the ruling party of focusing on divisive politics instead of addressing the concerns of common people.