Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, underlining the importance of the 2022 Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, said the passage to Delhi goes via Uttar Pradesh.
He said the upcoming state assembly elections were crucial for restoring democracy, secularism and brotherhood. He also said the challenge before the media was to maintain objectivity and transparency as strong journalism led to a strong democracy.
“The way to Delhi goes via Uttar Pradesh, hence, the upcoming elections in the politically significant state hold importance for restoring democracy, secularism and brotherhood, the hallmarks of our Constitution,” the SP chief said.
Yadav reiterated that his party would win 400 of the 403 UP assembly seats in the 2022 polls.
He also alleged that a section of the media was creating perceptions and setting narratives to earn handsome revenue.
“Print media, in particular, is facing a big challenge in maintaining fair news dissemination without bothering about revenue in the present scenario,” he said.
Yadav said, “Today, like political parties, the media also face a “big challenge” to maintain objectivity and transparency without any “bias” during the upcoming UP assembly polls so that people know the truth,”
“When journalism is strong, democracy becomes strong,” he added while addressing the annual general body meeting of the All-India Federation of PTI Employees’ Unions here on Saturday.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party has announced a special Dalit outreach programme from Sunday across villages in Uttar Pradesh as it widens its campaign for the next year's assembly polls.
The party's Brahmin outreach programme with ‘Prabuddh Varg Sammelan’ and 'Shiv Sewak Sammelan’ are already underway. Now, the Samajwadi Lohia Vahini will start organising "Gaon-Gaon Dalit Samwad (Dalit discourse across villages)" from September 19.
“The Samajwadi Lohia Vahini is starting this programme to expose the Bharatiya Janata Party government's anti-people, anti-farmer, anti-Dalit, anti-backward, anti-reservation policies and to take the socialist ideology, actions and policies among the people," SP spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary said.
Lohia Vahini state president Ram Karan Nirmal would take part in the programmes in Kanpur Nagar, Auraiya, Kannauj, Farrukhabad, Mainpuri, Etawah, Firozabad, Agra and Mathura, he said.
According to Chaudhary, the seven-phase programme will start from Prayagraj and its last phase will be in Lucknow on December 5.
The Samajwadi Shikshak Sabha was also holding dialogues to reach out to teachers at booth level, he said.
The SP had started its Brahmin outreach programme from Ballia on August 23 from the village of former Union Minister Janeshwar Mishra. Its Shiv Sewak Sammelan also started from Ballia to attract Goswamis, a sub-caste among Brahmins. The ruling BJP is also holding a series of conferences of intellectuals. The SP had started its Brahmin outreach programme from Ballia on August 23.
