Bullet train cannot end unemployment: Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], September 14 (ANI): Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday mocked the Narendra Modi Government at the Centre over its latest project of launching bullet train between Ahmedabad and Mumbai and said that the introduction of the bullet train will not end unemployment in the country. "It's not as if the bullet train can end unemployment," Akhilesh said. Referring to earlier allegations of the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS)/Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) that most of the development was limited to his ancestral village of Saifai during his government in the state, Akhilesh claimed that Prime Minister Modi was guilty of the same fault by introducing bullet train in his home state. "During elections, they used to say that all the development has gone into Saifai, but from where he is launching the bullet train, he can't say the same now," said Yadav. He also said that bullet train should also start running from Delhi to Lucknow, Varanasi, Bihar, and Bengal, where there is high population. "The cost is high, but they should also tell how much the fare will be," he further added. Speaking about Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi's address at the University of California, Berkeley, Akhilesh defended Gandhi's controversial comment on the prominence of political families' dynasts in Indian politics. "Wherever one person has emerged from a family, another has followed steps," he said. He further asserted that the Samajwadi Party would keep its friendship with the Congress. He also slammed the BJP Government in Uttar Pradesh, and said that it has failed to do any work there. Taking another potshot at the BJP Government, Akhilesh said that the public opinion was proof enough of the party's reputation, and the criticism can be seen across the social media platforms. "Those who conspired in the media before are now worrying over their image on the social media," he said, hinting at BJP. The Samajwadi Party leader was speaking on the occasion of Hindi Diwas, in Lucknow. (ANI) This story has not been edited. It has been published as provided by ANI