Govt Wasting Hundreds of Crores on Trump's Visit: Samajwadi Party

Lucknow, Feb 23 (PTI) Ahead of US President Donald Trump's visit to India, Samajwadi Party on Sunday accused the central government of wasting hundreds of crores of rupees at a time the country is in the grip of an economic slowdown.

In a statement issued here by the Samajwadi Party on Sunday, party chief Akhilesh Yadav also said it is ironical that Gujarat, the birthplace of Gandhiji who was an epitome of simplicity, is indulging in extravagance.

"The Government of India is going to waste hundreds of crores of rupees of the public on the visit of US President Donald Trump to India. Lakhs of people are being arranged to say 'Namaste' to Trump jee. But, despite all the efforts, truth cannot be hidden. The entire world knows that slowdown has gripped the Indian economy. The Indian farmer has been pushed to darkness."

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister also attacked the state BJP government over the issue of development.

He said the BJP does not endorse the qualitative development works done by the SP government.

"It was during the regime of the SP government that the Agra-Lucknow Expressway was constructed. Such was the quality of the expressway that fighter jets and carrier aircraft of the IAF could land on it. The 325 kilometre long expressway has been selected as a runway to make emergency landing," he said.

Yadav said the BJP government in UP is about to complete three years in office, but has "hardly done anything".

"The achievement of its tenure has been 'tukbandi' (rhyming) one after the other in the name of development," he said.

(This is an unedited and auto-generated story from Syndicated News feed, LatestLY Staff may not have modified or edited the content body)