Congress, BJP luring actors for Lok Sabha polls, says Akhilesh Yadav

The Congress and the BJP are facing a crisis of contestants as big leaders are shying away from the Lok Sabha polls to escape humiliation. That is why both parties are luring film actors, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav said here Sunday.

Without naming the Congress candidate for Ghaziabad Lok Sabha seat -- film star-turned-politician Raj Babbar, Akhilesh said it was the same leader who was instrumental along with former prime minister V.P. Singh in obstructing the construction of a power project in Dadri.

"If this man had not created snags in the power project, it could have come into existence to solve the power shortage and the city would have flourished," the Samajwadi Party leader said.

"Now the same man is crying for development. He always ditched voters. Ghaziabad residents would teach him a lesson," he said.

Hitting out at Rajnath Singh, Akhilesh said the Bharatiya Janata Party president left the city in fear of defeat.

Targetting BJP's prime ministerial candidate Narendra Modi, he said: "The Gujarat model is a technique to mislead the masses like 'India Shining'. If the Gujarat model would have been true in existence, why did Modi opt to contest from Varanasi? He does not feel safe to contest from one place."

He said the BJP was an expert in spreading communalism, and it was the party that had ignited the violence in Muzaffarnagar.

He said his government effectively controlled the situation and restored peace. The Supreme Court has appreciated the role of the state government in controlling the violence.

On his government's achievements, the chief minister said it has regularised the jobs of 1.6 lakh state employees, sanctioned unemployment fund, distributed 15 lakh laptops and sanctioned funds for the extension of Delhi Metro rail project in Ghaziabad.