Akhilesh Yadav attacks BJP, claims Kanpur turned into ‘Badnampur’

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday launched a scathing attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), alleging that the ruling party has presided over Kanpur’s steady decline and reduced the once-flourishing industrial powerhouse to what he termed “Badnampur” — a city gaining notoriety for the wrong reasons.

Addressing a press conference in Civil Lines, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief said Kanpur, long celebrated for its textile mills and robust manufacturing base, is now in the news for car overturnings, police-lawyer confrontations and what he described as “scripted encounters.” These developments, he claimed, reflect a deeper breakdown in governance and administrative accountability.

Yadav pointed to the closure of the historic Lal Imli textile mill as emblematic of the city’s industrial decay. He also flagged the issue of untreated sewage flowing into the Ganga River, alleging that corruption and inefficiency have eroded Kanpur’s legacy and tarnished its environmental and economic standing.

Promising a revival if the Samajwadi Party returns to power, Yadav said his government would launch a riverfront project “better than Lucknow’s”, reopen Lal Imli, and create an ecosystem conducive to large-scale industrial investment. He underscored frequent power cuts and delays at the Panki power plant as major impediments to industry and employment generation in the region.

Taking aim at the Centre’s Smart Cities Mission, Yadav quipped that Kanpur has become a “Jam City” instead, citing chronic traffic congestion. Referring to a video he shared from the Ganga Barrage stretch earlier in the day, he claimed commuters were stranded for nearly 90 minutes, questioning official assurances that travel time between Lucknow and Kanpur had been reduced to 45 minutes.

Expanding his criticism, Yadav alleged discrepancies in voter list revisions and faulted government policies on education and farmers’ welfare. He also sought clarity on the progress of the Bundelkhand Defence Corridor, suggesting that promised industrial momentum has yet to materialise.

In an apparent reference to a recent high-profile crash, he claimed enforcement agencies show leniency when “palms are warmed,” hinting at corruption within the system. He further accused the government of silencing opposition voices in Parliament and took a swipe at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, remarking that a true yogi cannot be driven by anger or the pursuit of power.

Yadav alleged that law-and-order measures, including encounters, were being used to divert attention from administrative lapses such as delays in cabinet expansion. He also charged that demolitions were being carried out selectively in areas where the BJP “does not get votes,” specifically naming Dal Mandi in Varanasi.

Questioning the impact of the Centre’s Make in India initiative, Yadav contended that domestic manufacturing has not witnessed the promised resurgence.

Earlier in the day, he was welcomed by party workers in Jajmau, where he urged them to prepare for the upcoming elections, asserting that public sentiment is increasingly in favour of political change.

The remarks signal an intensifying political battle in Uttar Pradesh, with the SP sharpening its critique of the ruling establishment as electoral contests loom on the horizon.

With PTI inputs