By Pradeep Kapoor
LUCKNOW: Mishandling of backwards quota issue for civic polls by BJP has given an issue to opposition to corner BJP and boost the morale of leaders like Akhilesh Yadav, Jayant Choudhry and Priyanka Gandhi. The only exception is BSP national president Mayawati who is seen giving advice to BJP and becoming more critical of Samajwadi Party and Congress.
Now it is to be seen as to how opposition leaders conduct themselves and reach out to public with the issue of backward quota for civic polls. BJP was embarrassed when Allahabad High Court directed UP government to conduct Civic polls without backward quota. It so happened that BJP government had issued the notification for holding civic polls without setting up backward commission and three phase survey. Now after the Allahabad High Court order, BJP government hurriedly set up the backward commission and announced that civic polls would be held after incorporating backward quota.
Akhilesh Yadav said that BJP was against the reservation for backwards which was exposed at the manner which party conducted regarding civic polls and issued notification without conducting any survey. He further alleged that BJP would also remove the reservation for scheduled caste and scheduled tribes in future.
Akhilesh Yadav has demanded special session of UP legislature to discuss the issue of backward quota for civic polls. Akhilesh Yadav said that backwards and scheduled castes and scheduled tribes would be forced to start agitation to protect their reservation. Samajwadi Party has also announced to start padayatra in support of reservation for backwards classes in civic polls.
Similarly RLD president Jayant Choudhry also attacked BJP for working against reservation for backward classes. Congress backward leader Manoj Yadav said that the real face of BJP was exposed which showed as to how saffron party was working against reservation for backward classes in civic polls.
As a Leader of Opposition and national president of Samajwadi Party, all eyes are on Akhilesh Yadav as to how he conducts himself in 2023 to unite opposition and reach out to people with their issue and take on Yogi government inside the Assembly as well as outside.
Although the challenge is big in view of better preparations by BJP which is always in election mode but time has come for Akhilesh Yadav to prove whether he is prepared to come out of his comfort zone and reach out to entire opposition to challenge BJP government headed by chief minister Yogi Adityanath. (IPA Service)
