Akhilesh rolls out Vijay Yatra today to reach out to UP voters
On the eve of the campaign, the SP released a 17-second video in which Akhilesh was seen talking to his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and touching his feet to get blessings for the success of the rath yatra
LUCKNOW Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav will embark upon his statewide Vijay Yatra, a motorised rath journey, from the Ganga bridge in Kanpur on Tuesday to galvanise public support ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections.
On the eve of the campaign, the SP released a 17-second video in which Akhilesh was seen talking to his father Mulayam Singh Yadav and touching his feet to get blessings for the success of the rath yatra, which will continue intermittently, till the notification of polls early next year.
“The Samajwadi Vijay Yatra aims to make people aware about the corrupt, autocratic and suppressive policies of the BJP government and to establish real democracy,” the party said in a statement.
Yadav will travel in a Mercedes bus, which has been turned into a ‘rath’ having posters of Akhilesh Yadav displayed on one side and that of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav on the other, besides a picture of party leader Mohammad Azam Khan.
Akhilesh’s motorised rath is already in Kanpur while he will leave Lucknow early in the morning to start the journey from Ganga bridge in Kanpur at 10 am.
The SP said that yatra will start from Kanpur and in the first two days on Oct 12-13 it will cover Kanpur Dehat, Jalaun and Hamirpur.
“During its first phase, the yatra is scheduled to reach Naubasta (Kanpur) at 11.30 am, then go to Naveli Lignite Power station, Ghatampur, and then reach Hamirpur at 5pm. The next day, the yatra will restart from Hamirpur at 9.30am covering Kurara, Hamirpur, Kalpi in Jalaun district and end this first leg of the journey at Mati in Kanpur Dehat at 4pm,” said Rajendra Chaudhary, state spokesperson, Samajwadi Party.
“After his 2001 Kranti Rath Yatra, SP returned to power in 2002. After the 2011 yatra, SP again returned to power and he became chief minister for the first time,” said Chaudhary.
“The yatra aims to provide justice to farmers, youths, dalits, the deprived, the backward, minorities and all sections and rid the state of autocratic and suppressive government,” he added.
Meanwhile, UP cabinet minister and state government spokesperson Sidharth Nath Singh said: “No Vijay Yatra will be able to fulfill Akhilesh’s dream of acquiring power. Those who failed to serve people and handed over the state’s honour and dignity to criminals and goons, have no right to be in power.” Inputs from agency