Raipur, Nov 9 (PTI) Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said winds of change are blowing across Bihar and the INDI bloc is poised for victory in the ongoing elections there.
Speaking to reporters at Swami Vivekananda Airport in Raipur during a brief stopover before leaving for Odisha, Yadav said the public mood in Bihar clearly indicates a desire for young and energetic chief minister Tejashwi Yadav of the RJD, who turned 36 during the day.
“What I say is less important than what your camera shows. The camera is capturing where the real public support lies,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.
“Bihar, along with bringing change, is going to elect a young chief minister. Bihar is going to get a new chief minister, a young chief minister with new energy. Tejashwi Yadav, whose birthday is today. Today is the last day of campaigning (in Bihar). He has the support of the people,” he added.
Yadav said the RJD-led Mahagathbandhan and INDI bloc are heading towards victory in Bihar, and their success will further strengthen the alliance nationally after the polls.
The first phase of assembly polls in Bihar took place on November 6, while the second and final round is scheduled for November 11. Results will be declared on November 14.
Queried about Union Home Minister Amit Shah’s remark about infiltrators, Yadav took a swipe at the BJP, saying it focuses “more on ghoos (bribes) than ghuspaithiye (infiltrators).” “The BJP has been in power for over 11 years. If infiltrators have entered the country during this period, who is responsible? The BJP itself. The BJP itself has to make a list that how many infiltrators came in these 11 years and how many have come before (2014). The BJP pays more attention to ghoos than ghuspaithiye,” he said.
The SP chief said the people of Uttar Pradesh had already given their verdict in the last Lok Sabha elections, rejecting the BJP.
“The BJP discriminated against backward classes, Dalits, tribals, and minorities, including Christians and Muslims. All those people united under the PDA umbrella and taught the BJP a lesson,” he said.
“The BJP talks about double-engine governments, but people have taught them a lesson even in places where their communal politics began. The BJP was defeated where it once started its communal politics,” he added, referring to the BJP’s loss in Faizabad Lok Sabha seat, which includes Ayodhya, the epicentre of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
Yadav said the Samajwadi Party is working to expand its footprint in other states.
“We are moving in the direction of making SP a national party. In Chhattisgarh, the Samajwadi Party will continue its efforts, and through the (Nuapada) bypoll, we are sowing the seeds of our presence in Odisha. In the coming years, SP will establish its base in the state,” he said.
Yadav was on his way to campaign for the Nuapada bypoll in Odisha, where voting will take place on November 11. Tribals constitute over 35 per cent of Nuapada’s over 2.53 lakh voters. PTI TKP BNM
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