LUCKNOW

Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav took a poetic jab at the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh on Sunday (August 16, 2026) over allegations of donations embezzlement at the Ram Temple in Ayodhya. He called on people to vote out the ruling party in the Vidhan Sabha polls scheduled for early next year.

Mr. Yadav shared a three-minute AI-generated video on X that showed people rejecting money offered to them because it was stolen. Mr. Yadav was responding to reports that the U.P. government was likely to announce a grant of ₹20,000 for women in Uttar Pradesh.

Earlier, Mr. Yadav said on X: “Another BJP jumla: a grant of ₹20,000 to U.P.’s women. The BJP has nothing left to win elections except money. That too is the BJP’s sinful earnings, which the religious women of Uttar Pradesh will never accept. Women in Uttar Pradesh say that in other states where they won elections by granting money to women, they are either refusing to pay up or demanding its return. And for those women who are unable to return it, the BJP is taking action against them through the police and courts. A closer look at this issue makes it apparent that the BJP government could have provided ₹50,000 annually, but it didn’t. The CM has tricked everyone by spending thousands of crores of rupees meant for the rights of women in Uttar Pradesh on his own publicity.”

“At ₹50,000 per year, the corrupt BJP government has siphoned off ₹5 lakh meant for women over the past 10 years. They are now offering a mere ₹20,000 which represents only 4% of that amount, meaning these BJP leaders have swallowed 96% of what is due to the women. Those who talked about 80:20 have set a super record of corruption by making it 96:4. Even if the jumla makers forget their ₹15 lakh promise and provide ₹20,000, the public is still owed ₹4,80,000. Fearing public outrage, BJP leaders, allies, and workers have gone underground. No one even wants a BJP ticket. After the temple theft and the attack on children, the BJP has lost its moral moorings and courage, which is why they are resorting to money.”

The SP president countered with his own promise of an annual allowance of ₹40,000 to women; this amount will be increased every year, he said.