As soon as the monsoon session of Parliament begins, opposition parties have taken an aggressive stand against the central government. On the very first day, Samajwadi Party chief and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav attacked the central government fiercely and accused him of failure. In his speech, he raised issues related to the people of the country and said that the current government is only busy with “publicity” and “image building”, while problems at the ground level are taking serious form.
Akhilesh Yadav accused the government of weakening democracy. He said, “The voice of the opposition is being suppressed in Parliament. Where the government should answer the questions of the people, the opposition is not even being given to speak.” He alleged that this government has converted democracy into ‘Mann Ki Baat’ instead of dialogue.
Another big issue that Akhilesh Yadav raised was unemployment and inflation. He said that the youth are still waiting for the job, but the government is only working with the false promises of appointments and recruitments. He asked the government, “Is there a concrete plan to provide employment to crores of unemployed youth of the country or is it just an electoral slogan?”
Speaking on the problems of the farmers, he reminded that the promises made by the government during the peasant movement are still incomplete. The demand for legal guarantee on the minimum support price (MSP) is still incomplete. He said, “The government has forgotten the farmers. There has not been a single discussion on farmers’ suicides in Parliament.” Akhilesh Yadav also expressed concern over the freedom of constitutional institutions. He said that investigative agencies are being used to intimidate and crush political opponents. He stressed that this method is not only unconstitutional, but also dangerous for democracy.
He also questioned the ongoing violence in Manipur and other sensitive states. He asked, the government will remain silent and how many days will be silent? “The silence of the central government is an indication that it is either helpless or deliberately silent.” Through his loud speech in Parliament, Akhilesh Yadav tried to convey the message that the opposition is serious about public issues and will continue to make every effort to make the government accountable.
