New Delhi: Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP)-led Union government over the terrorist attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, accusing it of intelligence failure and prioritising “propaganda” over addressing critical issues.
Addressing a press conference in Lucknow, Yadav questioned, “The big question is how did the terrorists reach our home.. This is a failure of the government. It was the result of intelligence failure.” He alleged that a complete failure of intelligence and security arrangements allowed the attack to occur, with forces unable to respond promptly. Drawing parallels with the 2019 Pulwama attack, he said that the government’s negligence was to blame for the tragic incident.
“There were no proper security arrangements and forces could not reach there. Now people are also talking about Pulwama with Pahalgam,” he said.
Yadav demands increased financial assistance
Earlier this week, terrorists opened fire on a group of unsuspecting tourists in Pahalgam, killing 26, sparking fresh tensions between India and Pakistan.
Yadav demanded that the families of each of the victims be given Rs 10 crore in financial assistance along with a government job. “The government must stand by these families in their time of grief,” he said.
He further criticised the BJP for focusing more on propaganda than addressing serious national issues such as unemployment and security. “The BJP government is consistently engaged in propaganda. Meanwhile, unemployment remains a major issue,” he said after a meeting with the youth wing of his party.
Yadav highlights grim state of employment
Highlighting the grim state of employment, Yadav said, “The government has failed to provide respectable jobs. Individuals holding professional degrees are being forced into menial jobs like delivery work. This is an insult to their education and potential.”
He also accused the BJP of undermining constitutional rights and tampering with reservation policies meant for the marginalised sections. “Not providing jobs essentially amounts to denying reservation benefits,” he said, alleging that political interference in education had increased significantly under BJP rule.
