Lucknow,

21 April (H.S.): Akhilesh Yadav, president of the Samajwadi Party, stated on

Tuesday that Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's 'padyatra' over the

rejection of a constitution amendment bill to enforce women's reservation in

legislatures is practice for the BJP to sit in opposition. Addressing

a news conference here, Yadav stated that this 'padyatra' was for practice. It

demonstrates that they will have to agitate in this manner when they are in

opposition. This is the first administration to practice being the opposition

while in power. The 'Jan Aakrosh Mahila Padyatra' began earlier in the day at

Adityanath's official house on Kalidas Marg and ended at the UP Assembly. He

slammed the BJP, claiming that no government party had ever fought so hard for

a legislation it had enacted.

Perhaps

no government in history has battled as hard for its own laws as this one does.

This is unprecedented, he explained. The SP head projected his party's

political plank, citing the PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak)

coalition, claiming that it will decisively oppose the BJP in the future

elections. For the first time in history, one social bloc will defeat them (the

BJP). This bloc is called PDA - PDA family. People united by similar sorrow and

concerns would band together to defeat the BJP, he added. Yadav stated that an

alliance of backward classes, Dalits, and minorities will seek to form a

government based on social justice. In the near future, we plan to build a PDA

government to construct a state based on social justice, he continued.

Yadav

called the rejection of the government's Constitution (131st Amendment) Bill,

which would have implemented women's quotas and increased the number of Lok

Sabha seats to 816, as a historic democratic victory and

congratulated voters and opposition coalition leaders. We are grateful to the

people and leaders of the INDIA alliance who supported our initiative. This is

not only a democratic success, but also a loss for the BJP, he stated. Yadav

reiterated his party's position on women's reservation, saying,

Samajwadis have always supported reservation for women, both inside and

outside the House. If anyone is attempting to block reservation, it is

the BJP. We will not let their plans succeed.

Hindusthan Samachar / Abhishek Awasthi