Excerpts:
PC: Are you a future national leader, or have you already become one.
AY: No, I am not a future leader, but I am president of Uttar Pradesh (for the party).
PC: I said future national leader.
AY: I don’t know what I will become in future. As of now I am working for the party, and for UP.
PC: With family run politics in the country, in regional parties also the son takes over the reins. Now Rahul Gandhi would be anointed.
AY: I have come above family run politics. When I had chosen to fight election for the first time, many questions were raised, but I won. And they made an issue that this is family run. But our family has struggled. We did not get any post, we were told to ride cycle, face the lathis. We are frequently doing andolans (protest). People with us are being beaten and also put in jail. Many are not allowed to come out of the house. If one gets this in family run politics, then we are in struggling phase.
PC: It means you are becoming a leader by facing lathis.
AY: Certainly, I am facing lathis and riding cycle.
PC: But your rath is air conditioned.
AY: Am onboard the rath (chariot) because 
the program includes a rath, the Kranti rath. Netaji had once announced a rath program and moved all over Uttar Pradesh. That time Janta Dal was in power and our party came back to power again. We are hopeful, that we will go among people, put forward various questions, and we hope that people will support us and Samajwadi party will form the government.
PC: Akhileshji, there is a fashion of rath, it is remembered during before the onset of elections. Before that neither rath nor cycle is remembered, other times there are air conditioned cars, planes, foreign trips. Before elections politicians recall rath, cycles and red and white topi.
AY: From the time Samajwadi party is out of power, only six months after the result, we were not struggling. After six months, we are continuously doing andolans. We are continuing our fight against the government, our supporters are being beaten up, there are conspiracies of filing false cases and we are working continuously. Nobody can’t say we are doing all this because of elections in future, even the date of elections is not clear.
PC: But the elections would surely happen before May, this is decided.
AY: It took us six months for deciding the tickets. Party wants that the leaders go among people by using rath, hence we can reach the maximum number of people.
PC: You can also go by helicopter, which you used to use more often earlier.
AY: The rath starts form 9.30 am, and goes till 11 pm, 12 pm. There is no comfort in rath.
PC: But you said you are struggling.
AY: There is struggle when you are travelling in a rath too.
PC: Who this struggle is against.
AY: The government of Bahujan Samaj Party, which looted Uttar Pradesh.
PC: They developed UP, cleaned Lucknow.
AY: Tell me in the whole of Uttar Pradesh if any farmer is getting fertilizer. When a farmer went to take fertilizer, he was beaten with lathis. When the farmer went to take DAP, he had to give double or three times the amount of money. He is not even getting the minimum support price.
PC: Who is your enemy in Uttar Pradesh?
AY: In Uttar Pradesh Samajwadi party will have a straight contest with Bahujan Samaj party.
PC: You have a secret friendship with the Congress?
AY: There is no friendship. Samajwadi party has supported them only to stop the BJP. As far as fighting for the rights is concerned, Samajwadi party is fighting on the question of inflation.
PC: When you are supporting the government in whose rule inflation is rising.
AY: In Lok Sabha, Netaji and all of us raised the issue if inflation.
PC: Inflation has not ceased in the past five years.
AY: More than Congress, the BSP is responsible for the poor state of affairs in UP.
PC: You think the state government is responsible for inflation in the state.
AY: Why is not the state government responsible?
PC: Is the state responsible for raising prices of petrol.
AY: If the petrol prices have increased, isn’t the UP government also charging tax from it, for diesel also they are charging tax.
PC: You the Congress has less share of responsibility for the state of affairs.
AY: Both are responsible equally for the state of affairs. Congress and BSP people are responsible for inflation and the sorry state of affairs in UP.
PC: In 2008, Samajwadi party saved the Congress government, you are with them on the issue of inflation, on the issue of CAG report, your party votes in favour of the Congress, in JPC too, you party people are with them.
AY: The issue is we can never stand with BJP.
PC: What will happen if you support BJP in PAC on the issue of countering corruption.
AY: The recent decision of the parliamentary board was that we will not save the Congress government if it falls on its own. This is so that the Congress has given assurance time and again that they will curb inflation, corruption and improve the condition of farmers. More than anybody, Congress is responsible for the poor state that the farmers are in.
PC: You say Mayawati is responsible for inflation, corruption but you will be with Congress in PAC on the issue of 2G.
AY: Who demanded a JPC in the Lok Sabha, Samajwadi party did. And we are raising the issue of 2G, because it is such a big scam, that we cannot explain it to the common people.
PC: But why you went against the PAC report, if the scam is so big, when Dr. Murli Manohar Joshi presented the report, you went back. You supported them, hence they got majority, hence on 2G corruption issue, you sided with the government.
AY: See, we will never let corruption increase.
PC: Let me ask you Teekhi Baat, when PAC report comes now, you will side with the report or the government.
AY: We will read the report first, if it has been made fine, the we will take a decision. In the 2G case, how members can read such a voluminous report in one day.
PC: But it must have been circulated.
AY: It was not circulated.
PC: You could have demanded that it be circulated, after that you could have vote.
AY: If it is circulated, the party will think on the same.
PC: When whenever there is a no confidence motion, you will stand by the Congress.
AY: The corruption and inflation because of the Congress party and the way they are supporting BSP. Rs. 700 crore was spent on laying stones.(Referring to parks built by Mayawati)
PC: You decide who the Congress is with, they are taking support from them and you.
AY: As far as Uttar Pradesh and Samajwadi party is concerned, Samajwadi party holds both of them responsible for the poor state of affairs in UP and the bad state that the farmers are in.
PC: Then why don’t you withdraw support.
AY: When the time comes, Netaji will decide. The state president of UP cannot take this decision. But we can have an opinion.
PC: What is you personal opinion.
AY: An individual opinion will not be agreed to, the party opinion will be agreed to.
PC: You think that the Congress is a lesser evil in BSP, on inflation, corruption.
AY: No, as far as Uttar Pradesh is concerned.
PC: I am talking of the country, UP is in the country.
AY: As far as UP is concerned, inflation, corruption and loot, both are supported each other and the state has suffered. They both are responsible for ruining the condition of farmers. Now the minimum support price of gains is not being given, hence it is being bought in the open market. But nobody is bothered about it.
PC: You are accusing both, but one you are feeding with support other you are running behind with lathis.
AY: As far as UP is concerned, SP takes steps to stop the BJP. We are working to stop the BJP.
:
PC: You think if you withdraw support from the government, BJP will come to power.
AY: Why won’t it come?
PC: How, 116.
AY: On the issue of nuclear deal, BSP stood by BJP.
PC: You saved the government on the nuclear deal.
AY: We saved the government, because there was a problem before the country.
PC: You saved the government, for which you member went to jail, one member got bail, HC gave stay order. Giving support was your decision.
AY: Whatever the issue, it is before the court, decision will come out.
PC: It was a party decision to save the government.
AY: Yes it was party decision.
PC: You are saying to ward off the BJP you will keep supporting the Congress, let corruption or inflation increase.
AY: No, not on the issue of corruption or inflation. In Lok Sabha, Samajwadi party members spoke against the Congress party, corruption and inflation must stop. An assurance has been given. An our central parliamentary boards recent decision, says that if the Congress party goes, we will not save it by giving support.
PC: If a no confidence motion is tabled against the Congress on the issue of corruption.
AY: We are working in UP continuously.
PC: You are not answering my question. It seems you have not authority to speak anything regarding the Congress.
AY: It is not the question of authority. I told you Netaji’s decision that if this time the Congress goes, we will not save it.
PC: How will it go if you don’t withdraw?
AY: If others are taking back support on the issue of inflation. We have fought on the issue of corruption, even in Lok Sabha, Congress has given assurance that it will improve things.
PC: In saving the Congress government, Mayawati and Mulayam Singh are on one side.
AY: As far as Uttar Pradesh is concerned, we are continuously doing andolans and speaking against both, that is why I said. If Uttar Pradesh is in ruins, farmers are in a bad condition, then BJP and even Congress is responsible. Stones worth Rs. 700 crore are laid in Noida, stones worth thousands of crores are laid in three places.
PC: She is such an honest chief minister, if there is any allegation against his MLA, he is sent to jail. If there is a charge against a minister, he goes to jail. Do you expel any leader from your party when there is a charge against him.
AY: Such organised corruption, loot and so many allegations have not been levelled against any government that have been levelled against this government. Let it be of rape, dishonesty or corruption. And farmer would have not been is such a bad shape that the BSP has led them to. Today everything that the farmer buys from the government is expensive. They should get MSP for grains, which they are not getting. There is loot in BSP’s rule. If district officer, police are dishonest and they win elections, then is this democracy.
PC: Is it right to say that if they win, it is dishonesty, if you do, it is not.
AY: On so many booths, their ministers distributed money; the police were working to see that they win. That is why I said, the people of UP are not happy.
PC: You are saying time and again that Congress is responsible for leading UP to ruin. Before elections you have no alliance with Congress, what after elections.
AY: After elections I have confidence that Samajwadi party will form a government will full majority.
PC: If there is a need would you go with Congress
AY: I am saying we will come with full majority.
PC: This is your imagination
AY: This is not imagination, not because SP MLA’s have lost with slim margins.
PC: If there is no majority, will you sit in opposition.
AY: I am not thinking that we will not come, SP will form government with full majority.
PC: Will you take anybody’s support later or not.
AY: I have told you that there will be no issue of taking support because SP will form government with majority. That is why tickets have been given one year ago. That is why we started campaigning so early, that is why we have to go on cycle, we are travelling on cycle, also on kranti rath. Because, we are going in the midst of farmers, lot of them suffered losses due to floods but they got no compensation, not any good price for their crop, that farmer is ready to vote against this government.
PC: Why do you think people will give you vote, you are only a Yadav party, people say. Yadavs and some Muslim brothers are with you.
AY: When opposition has no allegation to make, then they raise allegations of dynasty. Then they say it is Yadav party. Today there is no such section of people who does not form the support base of Samajwadi party. If today we gave ‘kanya vidya dhan’ to women, there is no section of people left.
PC: You had 97 MLA’s, only 77 are left, 20 left you.
AY: Some went because of greed, some others, they were threatened, troubled, implicated in false cases and they left. The strength of SP is that party worker, leader and people are looking at SP today.
PC: What is your slogan.
AY: Samajwadi party wants that the farmer should prosper.
PC: You are working only for farmer.
AY: ‘Roti and Kapda’ prices should come down, why not. This is the slogan of Samajwadi people.
PC: Will SP win only on farmer vote, rest there are shopkeepers in the city, harijans and others.
AY: The principle of Samajwad is walking together with all people. And show them the path of prosperity. There is no class of people who are not with us. Today SP has the most number of dalit MP’s. There is no class of society whom we have got together with us. We don’t do politics on the basis of caste. The place from where I am elected, Kannuj, there I have not won by doing politics of caste.
PC: In last elections also, I saw film stars, businessmen, could be seen on Samajwadi party’s stage, used to campaign in elections. Will this time also their support would be taken.
AY: Samajwadi party is going among the people on its principles and causes that it struggles for, and the issues that farmers are facing.
PC: I ask you some question, you come back to farmer issue. Like earlier netaji (Mulayam Singh) used to be seen between film stars and businessmen.
AY: There is no wrong thing in business coming on our platform. Businessmen will come, set up businesses and factories.
PC: They used to give speeches, come your functions too.
AY: No, they never gave speeches.
PC: You people had a good company with them. Will you call film stars this time for campaigning.
AY: If any film star wants to come and campaign for Samajwadi party then surely we will welcome him.
PC: Sanjay Duttji was your general secretary.
AY: That you will have to ask Sanjay Duttji whether he wants to come or not.
PC: Is Sanjay Dutt general secretary of your party even now.
AY: Now he is not in the party.
PC: You expelled him or
AY: Expelled him.
PC: If he wants to come you will take him back.
AY: If he feels for working for the cause Samajwadi party espouses, then we will welcome him.
PC: You mean that you will not call any film star for campaign; if anybody wants to come you will welcome him.
AY: We will not stop any film star.
PC: You will not call
AY: We will not calling from our side.
PC: Who are they; tell me name of one filmstar. Earlier Sunjay Dutt was there, Jaya Bachchanji.
AY: Jayaji is in the party.
PC: She is still a member of the party.
AY: She is a member of the party. She is the part of the national organisation.
PC: You will call her for campaigning.
AY: If anybody wants to come for campaigning.
PC: She is in your party.
AY: Should we ask anybody forcefully that please come for campaigning, this decision is taken by the leader that he will go for campaigning.
PC: You expect that Jaya Bachchanji should come and campaign for you.
AY: Along with Jaya Bachchanji, if anybody wants to campaign for SP, and help its cause, we will welcome him.
PC: Earlier film starts used to be called, this time Akhilesh Yadav will not go searching for film stars, if they come themselves it is fine.
AY: Please see, that is why, with kranti rath, we went among people and frequently whenever needed we are going via cycle. We went on cycle from near your studio. On the first day, we rode 80 km on cycle.
PC: Your training has been good, I am asking you some question, you are answering something else.
AY: No, there is no question of training in this. We people from Samajwadi party are going among people, and will continue to go among people.
PC: Don’t you think that netaji faltered, it was seen that SP was a party of businessmen, film stars. Slowly, you are changing the image.
AY: I am welcoming businessmen even today.
PC: For opening factories.
AY: Sugar mills were set up in UP, Netaji was responsible for setting up most of them. Because of SP, sugar came, hence people are happy. I am asking what industry this government set up. During our time the environment was such that many others set up industries.
PC: The people who helped you get industry. Let me ask you straight, whatever happened to Amar Singh, do you think that government did the right thing.
AY: I used to address him as uncle earlier; today also I address him as uncle. netaji told what benefit did uncle get, the Congress government was saved.
PC: Hence, whatever action happened against him was wrong.
AY: Please see, that matter is in the court. But as far as netaji is concerned, he made a statement and said that the Congress government was saved. Really, injustice happened with him.
PC: Will you make an effort to take him back into the party.
AY: That question cannot arise, because he is our of the party now, but is my uncle.
PC: Will you make an effort to get him back.
AY: No, there will be no effort from me to get him back.
PC: So, you will groom new people. Akhilesh Yadav is forming new band of people in his party.
AY: No, I am not forming any new band of people in the party, whoever is of SP, is also mine. And all those who are together in Samajwadi andolan all those are Samajwadi.
PC: Let us see what kind of andolan you run. Thank you for coming to our studio.
AY: Thank you sir!
