Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday slammed the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led BJP government, saying the government that does encounters doesn’t trust the Constitution.  

Yadav accused the saffron party of undermining the Constitution while emphasising his party’s commitment to safeguarding democracy.

“The government that does encounters doesn’t trust the Constitution,” said Yadav during a public rally in support of Dr Charu Kain, the Samajwadi Party candidate for Khair constituency. The byelection in Khair is scheduled for November 20.

The Samajwadi party chief added, “We have worked to educate people about the Constitution and the INDIA alliance has gained widespread support. But that doesn’t mean the ruling party cannot meddle with it. We, the Samajwadi Party, will continue to protect the Constitution and our democracy.”

Yadav took a jibe at the Chief Minister, saying, “Sadhus and saints speak less, but in ‘kalyug’ (the current age), they are speaking more. Those we once thought would speak the truth have become the peddlers of lies.”

Continuing his attack, Yadav said, “Our chief minister is laying explosive (gunpowder) in the society but he doesn’t know that his chair itself is in danger. A tunnel is being dug beneath his chair and it is in danger as well.” 

Yadav also accused the BJP government of worsening inflation to benefit its “business allies” and failing to provide permanent employment to the youth, wasting public resources instead.

The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister criticised the state government’s claim of transforming UP into a trillion-dollar economy.

“They promise a trillion-dollar economy but have no intention of creating jobs for our youth. They make such claims to confuse the poor and divert attention,” Yadav said.

The Election Commission officials on Friday checked the helicopter and bags of Union Home Minister Amit Shah during his election rally in the Hingoli Assembly segment of Maharashtra.

The Union Home Minister, taking to X, shared a video which showcased that election officials were checking the helicopter ferrying him and his bags.

“Today, during my election campaign in the Hingoli Assembly constituency of Maharashtra, my helicopter was inspected by Election Commission officials,” Shah said.

The Home Minister said the BJP believes in a free and fair elections process and follows all the rules made by the Election Commission. “We all must contribute to a healthy election system and perform our duties in keeping India as the strongest democracy in the world,” he added.

Shah was in the state to campaign for the BJP-led Mahayuti alliance ahead of the November 20 Assembly elections.

The issue of poll officials checking politicians’ luggage entered electoral discourse after Shiv Sena (UBT) chief Uddhav Thackeray filmed his bags being inspected and shared the video of it.

He also sought to know if the election officials had checked the bags of the Chief Minister, the state’s two deputy CMs, Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Shah.

The officials had checked the bags of Thackeray on Monday and Tuesday, after his arrival in Yavatmal and Latur, respectively.

The election body officials on Wednesday checked the bags of Maharashtra Chief Minister Eknath Shinde and Union Minister Ramdas Athawale.

Shinde’s bags were checked at the Palghar police ground helipad after his arrival for the election campaign in the state.

Taking a jibe at the Shiv Sena (UBT) chief, Shinde said, “Let them check, they are doing their duty.” Whereas, Ramdas Athawale’s bags were checked by the officers after he arrived in Pune by helicopter.

According to the Election Commission of India, the aircraft and helicopters of top leaders across the political spectrum are checked as part of the standard operating procedure.

The Congress on Friday criticised the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led central government for its blatant efforts to deny justice to Adivasis, labeling the Dharti Aaba Janjatiya Gram Utkarsh Abhiyan (DAJGUA) as a mockery of the Forest Rights Act, which highlights the government’s hypocrisy.

The Opposition party asserted that DAJGUA, in a “typical Manuvadi fashion,” perceives these communities merely as forest-dwelling ‘vanvasis’ and ‘labhaartis’ (beneficiaries), rather than recognizing them as political and economic entities in their own right.

In a post on X, Congress General Secretary for Communications Jairam Ramesh said that today marks the 150th anniversary of the birth of ‘Dharti Aaba Bhagwan Birsa Munda,’ one of India’s greatest figures and a staunch proponent of self-governance and social justice.

He accused the Prime Minister of merely paying lip service to Adivasi issues while his government intensified efforts to undermine their justice.

Ramesh pointed out that although DAJGUA is named after Bhagwan Birsa Munda, it fundamentally undermines the Forest Rights Act and demonstrates governmental hypocrisy.

Ramesh emphasised that the 2006 Forest Rights Act (FRA), enacted by the then-Manmohan Singh government, was a groundbreaking piece of legislation that transferred forest control from the forest department to the gram sabha. This act also designated the Ministry of Tribal Affairs as the nodal authority for its implementation, marking a significant shift in power dynamics.

He stated that the FRA empowered Adivasi communities and ‘Gram Sabhas’ to manage forests, contributing to democratic governance. However, he criticised Modi’s administration for what he termed a “counter-revolution,” contending that DAJGUA essentially reverses the progress made by these historic reforms in forest governance.

Ramesh claimed that DAJGUA undermines the authority of the Ministry of Tribal Affairs by enabling the Ministry of Environment, Forests, and Climate Change to oversee FRA implementation.

Instead of strengthening the statutory bodies established by the FRA—such as the Gram Sabha, sub-divisional committee, district committee, and state monitoring committee—DAJGUA introduces a parallel structure of FRA cells at the district and sub-divisional levels. These cells operate under centralised bureaucratic control without accountability to the statutory bodies of the FRA.

Furthermore, DAJGUA engages technical agencies, domain experts, and corporate NGOs for FRA implementation and community forest rights management activities, as facilitated by the State Tribal Welfare Departments, said Ramesh.