Ambedkar's Name on 'Zero Poverty' Scheme Just Another BJP 'Jumla', Says Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow- Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday mocked the Yogi Adityanath government's decision to name its 'zero poverty' mission after B.R. Ambedkar, calling it another hollow promise from the BJP.

In a sharp post on X, Yadav said, "Just like the government's 'zero tolerance' policy yielded zero results, this 'zero poverty' scheme will also turn out to be a 'jumla'."

Taking a dig at the BJP, he added, "India gave the world the concept of zero in mathematics, not for spreading lies. Poverty is eliminated through action, not empty slogans. The BJP government has a 'zero' track record in actual work—they’ll leave office after reducing everything to zero."

Yadav accused the BJP of repackaging old schemes, saying, "They just rename previous initiatives like 'Ambedkar Village' and 'Lohia Village' to fool people. Before making new promises, the BJP should first deposit Rs 15 lakh in every account as promised earlier and show the condition of the villages they adopted."

He further taunted, "First, clear the dust from your unfulfilled promises—homes for all and water for every household. At least stop lying to the poor."

In a separate post, Yadav condemned the attack on Jain monks in Madhya Pradesh’s Neemuch, demanding a thorough probe. "Attacking saints who have renounced worldly desires is shameful. Such violence creates fear among minorities and disrupts social harmony," he said.

The UP government’s 'zero poverty' mission, named after Ambedkar, aims to provide basic amenities to all underprivileged citizens and is set to launch later this month. But with Akhilesh Yadav’s latest salvo, the political battle over welfare schemes in Uttar Pradesh is heating up.