'Lord Ram was always there, was not brought by BJP': Akhilesh Yadav

Akhilesh Yadav also quoted the governor's speech and said that Rs 31,000 crore was spent on the beautification of Ayodhya ahead of the inauguration of the Ram temple.

Samajwadi Party (SP) MLA Akhilesh Yadav will speak in the House on the state budget during the budget session of the Uttar Pradesh Assembly in Lucknow on Saturday. (ANI photo)

Uttar Pradesh News: Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday attacked the BJP and accused the saffron party of 'insulting' Lord Ram by claiming that they had taken Him to Ayodhya when the Hindu god never left as He always lived in the hearts and minds of His devotees.

'Lord Ram resides in the heart, then why the need to take his name? Ram was always there, even in the past,” the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief said during the budget session in the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Assembly.

Urging the BJP to stop using religion as a vehicle for their political goals, Yadav said, “Lord Ram is there even today. Lord Ram will always be there. If we were not there, Lord Ram would be there, and if we were gone, Lord Ram would still be there.”

“By claiming that you have brought Lord Ram, you are insulting not only Lord Ram but also our religion,” he said.

Yadav also quoted the governor's speech in which he said that Rs 31,000 crore was spent on the beautification of Ayodhya ahead of the inauguration of the Ram temple.

BJP is 'anti-public'

The former UP chief minister criticized the 'big budget' presented by the finance ministry and said it means nothing if the government chooses to spend it secretly. “The government does not provide information on how much of the allocated amount has been spent.”

He said, “Whether the UP budget is Rs 7 lakh crore or Rs 8 lakh crore, the biggest question will always be: What is in it for the 90 per cent of the state's population?”

“The policies of the BJP are not for the common public of the state. It keeps 90 percent of the budget for the 10 percent of rich people. And only 10 percent of the budget for the 90 percent of people in need.”

In his speech, Akhilesh also mentioned several issues plaguing India's most populous state, including inflation, law and order, unemployment and farmers' distress. allocation to them.

'Does the farmer get the right price for his harvest? Whether farmers' income will be doubled? Will the worker get the right price for his hard work?” Yadav asked, using a Hindi proverb to argue that big isn't always better: “Bada hua to kya hua jaise ped khajoor, panchi ko chhaaya nahi, phall lagen ati door.”

“India is the fifth (largest) economy in the world, but 80 crore people in the country depend on government rations. There is no exemption from the train fare for seniors. For the youth, there is only four years of Agniveer recruitment in the army,” Yadav said.

The Uttar Pradesh government had on Monday presented a budget of Rs 7.36 lakh crore for 2024-25, appealing to Lord Ram and claiming to give priority to infrastructure development and welfare of women, youth and farmers.

UP's Finance Minister Suresh Khanna started his Budget speech in the Assembly with a verse from the Hindu epic Ramcharitmanas and said the state government is inspired by the concept of 'Ram Rajya'.