Akhilesh Yadav mocks BJP's "400 paar" slogan, predicts they'll struggle to win 140 seats

Deoria (UP), May 25 (PTI) Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday claimed the BJP's "400 paar" slogan for the Lok Sabha polls would fall flat and the party would yearn to win even 140 seats.

He also claimed the companies that donated heavily to the BJP through electoral bonds have been recovering the money by increasing prices of commodities, leading to high inflation across the nation.

Addressing a joint rally here in support of the Congress' Deoria Lok Sabha candidate Akhilesh Pratap Singh and SP candidate Ajay Kumar Singh from Kushinagar, Yadav claimed that a "wind of change is blowing in Uttar Pradesh".

"Witnessing the huge support for the INDIA bloc, I am confident that when the votes are counted on June 4, the BJP will definitely be wiped out from Uttar Pradesh," the SP chief said, adding not just the government at the Centre, the media would also undergo change after the Lok Sabha poll results.

Attacking the BJP over its "400-par" slogan, he said, "Those raising the slogan are going to lose 400 (seats)." In a swipe at the ruling party, Yadav asked the gathering how many seats beyond 400 are left out of 543 (the total Lok Sabha seats in the country). On receiving the reply, he said, "I want to tell those who are dreaming of 143 seats that 140 crore people will make them yearn even to get 140 seats." "The people of Purvanchal welcome us with great enthusiasm and also bid farewell with pomp and show. Those who came here in 2014, their departure is certain in 2024." The Samajwadi Party chief asked people to beware of temptations while casting votes and advised them, "Wherever you see BJP people, ask them why does the party want to change the Constitution and why does it want to end reservation." "Every word and every promise of the BJP turned out to be false. Far from getting the facilities that should have been made available in a 10-year central and seven-year state government, the future of farmers and youth is in danger." "The poor want a government that works," Yadav said at the rally, adding the Agniveer scheme will be scrapped if the INDIA bloc forms government at the Centre.

Senior Congress leader and the party's Uttar Pradesh in-charge Avinash Pandey also addressed the gathering.

Voting in Deoria and Kushinagar will be held in the seventh phase on June 1. PTI