Samajwadi Party leader and former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday said both the Union and Uttar Pradesh governments have failed to tackle the coronavirus crisis due to their “short-sightedness and impractical decisions”.

“The BJP governments, both in state and the Centre, have failed to deal with the coronavirus crisis due to their short-sightedness and impractical decisions. Instead of taking positive and concrete steps, decisions are being taken only to mislead people,” Akhilesh Yadav said in a statement.

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“Despite long lockdown, the danger is increasing. Due to the migration and unemployment of labourers, the problem continues to increase. The government’s apathetic attitude towards them is claiming their lives,” the SP supremo said.

“The visuals showing a woman and youth drawing a bullock cart in Indore and a woman carrying her child on her luggage trolley in Agra are disturbing,” he said.

“For this situation and death of migrants, the BJP government is responsible. While the rich are being brought in airplane, the poor have been left to die on roads. Why has the government got such insensitive attitude?” he asked.

“Why can’t the poor travel in Vande Bharat mission planes?” he asked, adding for the government “flying so high that one cannot see the ground reality, is not appropriate”.

On allowing sale of liquor in the state, Akhilesh Yadav said, “For filling its coffers, the government has begun selling liquor due to which domestic violence and road accidents have increased many fold.”

On Thursday, Yadav criticised the centre’s 20 lakh crore stimulus package for not doing addressing the migrant crisis and farmers distress amidst pandemic. Taking to Twitter Yadav said, “What is this solution? Farmers are being asked to take loans. This is the time to give immediate cash relief to farmers and poor people, not about air and air of future. As the layers of the government’s package are opening, its hollowness is also coming out. This package is not a box of jumalas.”

ये कैसा समाधान है? किसानों से क़र्ज़ लेने के लिए कहा जा रहा है. ये समय भविष्य की हवा-हवाई बातों का नहीं, किसानों-ग़रीबों को तत्काल नकद राहत देने का है. सरकार के पैकेज की जैसे-जैसे परतें खुल रही हैं, वैसे-वैसे इसका खोखलापन भी सामने आ रहा है.

ये पैकेज नहीं जुमलों का पिटारा है. pic.twitter.com/mkTclQoIIh

— Akhilesh Yadav (@yadavakhilesh) May 14, 2020

The UP government has also come under criticism for suspending labour laws amidst pandemic and migrant crisis. A report by Hindustan Times says, UP government passed the Uttar Pradesh Temporary Exemption from Certain Labour Laws Ordinance, 2020, that exempts businesses, manufacturing mostly, for three years from a gamut of labour laws barring four: the Building and Other Construction Workers Act; Workmen Compensation Act; Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act; and section 5 of the Payment of Wages Act, which mandates employers to pay timely wages, and the Maternity Benefits Act. UP has suspended key labour laws for three years on May 6 through an ordinance.