Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav sharply criticized the Uttar Pradesh government on Wednesday, questioning whether it would apologize for the controversial bulldozer operations carried out across the state. His comments followed a recent Supreme Court order that called for guidelines on the use of bulldozers on immovable properties by government authorities.
Speaking at a press conference, Yadav accused the UP government of using bulldozers as a tool for revenge and humiliation against specific individuals. “The government deliberately ran bulldozers on those they wanted to target or disgrace. The same people who used bulldozers to intimidate others by demolishing homes across various places—can they prove that the map of the Chief Minister’s residence was approved? Show us the documents,” Yadav challenged.
He further referenced the Supreme Court’s stance, questioning whether the government would now apologize for the bulldozer operations conducted so far. “Yesterday, the Supreme Court stated that bulldozers cannot be used arbitrarily. So, will the government apologize for the bulldozer operations that have been ongoing until now? As for the notion of mind and heart, I just want to point out that a bulldozer has no brain—it operates with a steering wheel. The people of Uttar Pradesh have the power to change the steering of anyone’s bulldozer,” Yadav added.
Yadav also took a jab at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s policy of renaming places in the state, suggesting that the Chief Minister should rename the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) to the “Bhartiya Jogi Party.” “Since so many names have been changed, the Chief Minister might as well change the name of the Bharatiya Janata Party too,” Yadav quipped.
Earlier, Yadav responded to CM Adityanath’s accusation that lawlessness was ingrained in the DNA of the Samajwadi Party. In a social media post, Yadav mockingly suggested that Adityanath should first understand the full form of ‘DNA’—Deoxyribonucleic acid—before making such claims. He further criticized the BJP for allegedly spending large sums to recruit MPs and MLAs, advising them to speak less if they wish to maintain respect.
This exchange of barbs between the SP chief and the UP CM follows Yogi Adityanath’s remarks on Tuesday, where he accused Akhilesh Yadav and his uncle Shivpal Yadav of collecting “extortion” money for government jobs during their tenure. Adityanath also claimed that there had been no riots in Uttar Pradesh since his government came to power in 2017, attributing lawlessness and hooliganism to the DNA of the Samajwadi Party.
The accusations come amid reports that the DNA sample of former Samajwadi Party leader Nawab Singh Yadav matched those of a minor girl who was allegedly raped in Kannauj. The SP leader was arrested last month in connection with the case.