Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday took a dig at the BJP government, saying it had talked about enabling slippers-wearing commoners to travel by planes, but ended up selling airports and airline. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had in the past talked about enabling those who wear ‘h awai chappals’ [rubber slippers] to travel in a ‘h awai jahaaz’ [aircraft].
Addressing a public meeting at the Polytechnic College in Handia assembly constituency, 30 km from here, Mr. Yadav alleged that the central government was selling State-owned assets to evade giving reservation to people. The BJP government is selling all national assets so that it does not have to give reservation or jobs to people, Mr. Yadav said in an apparent reference to Adani Group winning bids for six airports and the sale of loss-making national carrier Air India to Tata Group.
Attacking the centre on the issue of employment, he alleged that the government has not undertaken any recruitment drive for the Army for the last three years. For the country’s youth, five years have been spent in waiting to get employed and now they do not want to wait any longer, Mr. Yadav said.
