SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said AI should serve public welfare and accused the BJP of weaponising it politically. He coupled the pitch with attacks over the Saharanpur mosque demolition, caste census and reservation.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said Artificial Intelligence (AI) should be used for social good, including medical treatment, agriculture and weather prediction, and accused the ruling BJP of using it for negative politics. He said AI could help farmers get fair prices for their produce and protect crops through better weather forecasts.
Yadav also attacked the Uttar Pradesh government over the demolition of a mosque in Saharanpur, called for a caste census, defended reservation and accused the BJP of failing on inflation, jobs and investment. He said the Samajwadi Party would work to promote brotherhood and respect for all religions.
Speaking to reporters in Lucknow, Yadav said, “Jo samaaj mein laaye achhaai, woh hai AI. AI se aaye achhaai (one which brings goodness to society is AI).” He said AI should be used to benefit society rather than for political attacks.
“AI should be used for good, not for negative politics. Our Opposition, who are currently in power and using government money, grains and budgets for various activities, are conspiring and creating videos using AI. If they produce such videos, we will produce them too. We will create songs even better than theirs,” he said.
On the mosque demolition in Saharanpur, Yadav questioned the need to raze it within 12 hours when the High Court and the Supreme Court were there to intervene. He alleged that the demolition was a well-planned strategy and conspiracy.
Later, in a post on X, Yadav said the Saharanpur mosque demolition had become a subject of discussion across the world and had tarnished the country’s secular image.
He alleged that the “communal BJP government” in Uttar Pradesh and some “communal” officials were involved and demanded that their identities be revealed. He said that if the government did not know the names of the alleged perpetrators, his party would help disclose them.
Yadav said he would write to the President of India against what he called a “malicious criminal act” and would seek the strictest punitive action. He also alleged that the constitutional system in the state had completely broken down under the BJP government and said he would appeal to the President to protect the constitutional order.
He said the BJP government had no answer to inflation, no plan to provide employment, had failed to attract investment and had made no significant mark on the international stage. Without naming anyone, he said those not abiding by the law today would do so tomorrow. “Even if any guilty person escapes today, they will not escape tomorrow,” Yadav said in his X post.
He said the SP would strive to foster brotherhood and ensure respect for all religions in the time ahead. He also urged party workers to stay alert to what he called the BJP’s “communalism”, first through its language and then through its actions.
Yadav also demanded a caste census. “We also demand a caste census, so that rights and respect are granted according to the population. Reservation was there, reservation is there, and reservation will remain,” the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said.
He said the Kushwaha, Shakya, Maurya and Saini communities made up a significant share of the population, but their numbers were underreported, and said they should be properly counted and given rights and respect in line with their share of the population. He added that the “tunnel-like” mindset of those conspiring against reservation would not be allowed to prevail.