UP Polls: 'Samajwadi Thali at Rs 10, MNREGA-like Act if Voted to Power', Say Akhilesh and Jayant

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav has promised ‘Samajwadi thali’ at Rs 10 for the poor, along with bringing in the Urban Employment Guarantee Act on the lines of MNREGA, if his party forms the government. Akhilesh was addressing a joint press conference with Rashtriya Lok Dal chief Jayant Chaudhary in Ghaziabad on Saturday, ahead of the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections next month.

“The Samajwadi Party wants to keep some things in the public domain before announcing the manifesto for the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls. The SP has already promised 300 units of free electricity to households, free power to farmers for irrigation purposes, laptops for students and the old pension scheme,” the former chief minister said.

He added, “Now, we also want to announce that after forming the government in the state, Samajwadi canteens and Samajwadi kirana (convenience) stores will be established where the poor will get ration and other supplies at subsidised rates. I am saying this because Dr Lohia had once said if you want to control inflation then you have to bring a policy to control prices of commodities. We will provide Samajwadi thali with nutritious food in these canteens at Rs 10, which will ensure that no one goes hungry. We started these canteens at some places earlier, too, but the BJP government closed them.”

In another major announcement, the SP chief said, “A lot of people come to urban areas for work, so we will bring the Urban Employment Guarantee Act on the lines of the MNREGA to ensure employment for such people. I had earlier said if we come to power there will be 22 lakh employment opportunities in the IT sector. Besides, 11 lakh government posts are lying vacant. We will fill those posts on priority.”

On fielding “tainted” candidates for the assembly polls, Akhilesh said the BJP, too, had fielded 82 such candidates so far. “The party whose CM and deputy CM have a tainted background, along with the son of an MoS who has been accused of mowing down farmers, should introspect first. Most such candidates fielded by the SP were falsely implicated by the BJP-led government.”

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