Akhilesh Yadav slams Centre for misusing central agencies, to meet Mamata Banerjee today

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Friday launched a frontal attack against the Bharatiya Janata Party-led government at the center for misusing central agencies to "harass leaders and public representatives of opposition parties" who pose a threat to the saffron camp.

Yadav, who is in Kolkata to preside over his party's two-day national executive, is scheduled to meet West Bengal Chief Minister and TMC supremo Mamata Banerjee on Friday evening.

“ED, CBI and Income Tax are BJP's political weapons, here in Bengal, such cases are fewer. In Uttar Pradesh, several of our (SP) leaders, including MLAs, are in jail in false and fabricated cases,” he told after arriving at the Kolkata airport. "BJP is sending ED and CBI to harass those opposition parties who threaten it," he said.

The Samajwadi Party is holding its two-day national executive from March 18 in Kolkata to discuss policies and strategies for assembly elections in Rajasthan, Chhattisgarh and Madhya Pradesh later this year and the Lok Sabha polls in 2024, SP sources said.

Yadav is also scheduled to address a meeting of workers at the Moulali Yuva Kendra this afternoon. He will then go to Banerjee's residence to meet her, sources said. The two leaders have a very cordial relationship.

Yadav extended his party's support to the TMC during the 2021 assembly polls in Bengal, which Banerjee reciprocated when she campaigned for the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister during the 2022 elections in the state.