Samajwadi Party announces sops to woo poll-bound Uttar Pradesh voters

Lucknow, Jan.20 (ANI): The Samajwadi Party (SP) released its election manifesto here on Friday, just a little over a week before assembly polls in Uttar Pradesh, and predictbly announced several sops to attract the votes of voters, especially those living in rural areas.

The manifesto was released in the presence of party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and his son Akhilesh Yadav, besides other senior party leaders.

The manifesto promised that it will work towards the upliftment of farmers and underprivileged sections of society.

It also said that it would impose a ban on the acquisition of land and would acquire it only in an emergency.

It said that if the party is voted to power, it would grant loans to small and marginal farmers at an interest rate of four percent and would also give a loan waiver to poor farmers.

The party has promised in its manifesto to provide laptops to students who clear their class twelfth examinations.

In the manifesto, the party has strongly opposed foreign direct investment in retail sector in the state.

While interacting with mediapersons, senior party leader Ram Gopal Yadav said that the Samajwadi Party would find a way to implement its vision.

When asked where would the finances come for the plans outlined in manifesto, he said: "See, as you already know, where there is a will, there is a way."

Akhilesh Yadav questioned the need for the Bharatiya Janata Party to enter into an alliance with the ruling Bahujan Samaj Party.

"BJP's (Bharatiya Janata Party) and BSP's (Bahujan Samaj Party) friendship is not new (in UP). And, if some statement of this kind has come, then Uttar Pradesh's people have seen it. They have together made government thrice in the state. Even a slogan was promoted that vote for elephant, because it is a symbol of 'Ganesha' (Hindu elephant headed god). All these things have taken place before in UP. This is nothing new. So in Uttar Pradesh, to vote for BJP means to vote for BSP and to vote for BSP means to vote for BJP," said Yadav.

Polls in Uttar Pradesh will be conducted in seven phases, between February 8 and March 3 - to elect a 403-members to the provincial legislature, and the result would be out on March 6.

Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state and provides the biggest single bloc of seats in parliament.

Ironically, it is also one of the country's worst performers in several socio-economic indices. (ANI)