Saifai Mahotsava aftermath: UP CM Akhilesh Yadav cancels plans to watch 'Dedh Ishqiya' after criticism

LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday skipped the premiere of ‘Deedh Ishiquia’ following widespread criticism of his Samajwadi Party for splurging at a cultural event at a time when victims of last year’s riot in the state are still suffering.

Yadav was due to attend the film’s premiere in Lucknow with Madhuri Dixit, who stars in it. ‘Saifai Mahotsava’, a fortnight-long annual cultural event held in Yadav’s ancestral village of Saifai, saw several Bollywood stars take the stage on Wednesday. Among the performers were Dixit and Salman Khan.

The state government had announced Rs 1 crore as grant to ‘Deedh Ishiquia’ on the day Dixit performed at Saifai. The grant was given under a policy to promote films shot extensively in UP.

“It is not a mahotsava but a fun mahotsava in Saifai. Government money is being wasted when it should have been used for those dying in relief camps,” Union minister Beni Prasad Verma said, adding that the SP government “has lost all sensitivity and is intoxicated with power”.

Responding to criticism, Yadav on Friday said some sections of the media had falsely claimed that Rs 300 crore was spent on the event. “This is absolutely wrong and being publicised with a vested interest.

Only about Rs 10 crore was spent, and of this only Rs 1 crore was government money. All of it is accounted for in records. Now either those who made these claims in news reports about Rs 300 crore being spent, should prove it or express regret,” Yadav said. “There are some in the media doing this deliberately.

An English news channel has also run misinformed stories. The Saifai Mahotsava is being held for the last one-decade or so, and even when we were not in power. It is organised by the people of our village in a transparent manner.”

Yadav’s reaction prompted some Opposition party leaders to pick on the state government for trying to restrain the media. BJP’s Vijay Bahadur Pathak said that the media was only conveying the ground reality, but the CM, unable to provide relief to riot victims and restore peace, is attacking the media for no valid reason.

The Muzaffarnagar riots in September left over 62 people dead and displaced more than 30,000. Some of the affected people are still living in poorly equipped relief camps, where several people are reported to have died due to cold.