‘First Reform Your Own People’: Akhilesh Yadav’s Scathing Attack On BJP’s ‘Drug-Free’ Promise

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav launched a sharp attack on the BJP on Sunday over its ‘drug-free’ campaign, asking the party to first focus on Uttar Pradesh before preaching about drug eradication in Punjab.

In a series of posts on X, Yadav said the BJP should “put the ‘vegetarian’ Uttar Pradesh first” in its drive for a drug-free society, adding that the old adage of “reforming your own people before preaching to others” applied to the situation.

Yadav alleged that the BJP's remarks on drug eradication were part of a larger political battle between Delhi and Lucknow, with Punjab being used as a political battleground.

Referring to the Chandigarh mayoral election controversy, he alleged that the BJP's “Chandigarh-style tactics” were still remembered by people across the country and Punjab. He questioned how the BJP would enter the electoral battle in Punjab given what he claimed was the party's poor standing there.

Taking aim at the BJP's ‘double-engine’ government model, Yadav said, “The double engine colliding with itself has become a trouble engine.”

He also compared the BJP's drug-free promise with its earlier slogans of making the country corruption-free and inflation-free, and its demonetisation exercise aimed at eliminating black money. He claimed that the public had now resolved to seek “freedom from the BJP”.

In a separate post, Yadav listed 50 allegations against the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, ranging from corruption, law and order, unemployment and inflation to farmers' issues, caste discrimination and alleged misuse of government agencies.

He also accused the government of failing to protect women, farmers, workers and small businesses, while alleging corruption in infrastructure and recruitment.