"Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak calls Akhilesh Yadav 'king of corruption,' defends Centre's fight against graft"

Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak launched a scathing counter-attack on Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday, calling him the "king of corruption", almost a week after 9 top opposition leaders of the country, including Yadav, wrote to Prime Minister Narendra Modi. alleged misuse of central agencies against them.

“Only recently, 9 opposition leaders, including SP chief Akhilesh Yadav, wrote to the Prime Minister alleging misuse of central agencies. I want to say that these opposition leaders are themselves mired in corruption. By alleging misuse of central agencies, these leaders want to hide their corrupt deeds,” the Deputy CM said at a press conference organized at the UP BJP office in Lucknow.

“Do these parties object to the fight against corruption initiated by the central authorities? SP chief Akhilesh Yadav is one of the 9 signatories to the opposition leaders' letter to the Prime Minister. Ironically, the SP rule has always been known for rampant corruption,” he said.

"Gomti Riverfront scam, Noida and Greater Noida land allotment scam, ration scam, laptop scam, Samajwadi pension scam, fodder scam, mining scam are some of the many scams under investigation," Pathak said.

In a joint letter to the Prime Minister, the opposition leaders also flagged concerns over selective action by central agencies. Apart from Yadav, Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister and Bharat Rashtra Samithi Chief Chandrashekhar Rao, Jammu and Kashmir National Conference Chief Farooq Abdullah, West Bengal Chief Minister and Trinamool Congress Chief Mamata Banerjee, NCP Chief Sharad Pawar, Former Maharashtra Chief Minister and Shiv Sena Chief Uddhava Thackeray, Punjab Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, Delhi Chief Minister and AAP senior leader Arvind Kejriwal and Bihar Deputy CM Tejashwi Yadav cited cases to support their point.

“For example, former Congress leader and current CM Himanta Biswa Sarma was investigated by the CBI and ED in 2014 and 2015 for the Saradha chit fund scam, but the case against him did not proceed because he joined the BJP. Former TMC leaders Suvendu Adhikari and Mukul Roy were under surveillance by central agencies until they joined the BJP. There are many such cases, including that of Maharashtra leader Narayan Rane,” the opposition leaders alleged.