Lucknow, Sep 4 (PTI) The ruling BJP is "insensitive" to the needs and concerns of minorities and weaker sections of society and considers misleading people with propaganda as its achievement, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav said on Sunday.

Yadav, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, addressed a meeting of representatives of labour unions, social workers, teachers and small and medium businesses at the state headquarters of his party here.

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He said his party is fighting against the policies of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and is committed to socialism, democracy and secularism.

According to a party statement, Yadav said real development cannot take place if the interests of farmers and labourers are not taken care of.

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"Today, workers and weaker sections of society are the worst affected due to inflation. But, the BJP's priority is to protect the interests of capitalists," he charged.

The BJP is "insensitive" to the needs and concerns of minorities and weaker sections of society and considers misleading people with propaganda as its achievement, he alleged.

He alleged that the BJP was increasingly misusing its power, posing a challenge to democracy. But the BJP's conspiracies are now getting exposed and this has given hope that democracy will be restored in the country in 2024, he said.

The next Lok Sabha election is due in 2024.

He alleged that the BJP abandoned the working class, particularly during the COVID-19 pandemic. Ninety labourers from the state died while returning to their homes on foot during the pandemic-induced lockdown, he said, adding the Samajwadi Party provided financial assistance to their families.

(The above story is verified and authored by Press Trust of India (PTI) staff. PTI, India’s premier news agency, employs more than 400 journalists and 500 stringers to cover almost every district and small town in India.. The views appearing in the above post do not reflect the opinions of LatestLY)