Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday, 26 June 2026, launched a sharp attack on the Uttar Pradesh government's CCTV surveillance project, alleging that it had become a vehicle for large-scale corruption rather than a law-and-order tool.

Context

In his post, Yadav wrote in Hindi: 'CCTV ka naam Chadhaava-Chori TV sabit hoga' — 'the name CCTV will prove to stand for Chadhaava-Chori TV' (roughly, 'Offering-and-Theft TV'). He drew a pointed historical comparison, arguing that those who allegedly looted 'seventeen' times over centuries are remembered in infamy, but those who looted 'seventy' times in just 40 days would be 'inscribed in black letters across seven lifetimes' in history. He described the conduct as 'akhand nindaniya' — 'absolutely and utterly condemnable.'

Yadav further questioned how much must have been stolen, shared, concealed, and passed up the chain of command over the preceding years if so much could allegedly disappear in just seven weeks. The post is accompanied by an image and is directed unmistakably at the ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) administration in Lucknow.

Policy Backdrop

The Uttar Pradesh government under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, who has been in office since 2017, has repeatedly promoted mass CCTV installation across public spaces as a flagship law-and-order initiative. The project has been presented as central to the administration's claim of improved security and reduced crime in the state.

Akhilesh Yadav and the Samajwadi Party have consistently challenged that narrative, arguing since 2017 that large surveillance contracts create opportunities for graft rather than delivering genuine public safety. The current post represents a continuation — and escalation — of that long-running critique.

Stakeholders and Impact

Uttar Pradesh taxpayers bear the financial cost of the state's surveillance infrastructure, making allegations of tender irregularities or fund diversion a matter of direct public interest. The Samajwadi Party, as the principal opposition in the state legislature, has a political stake in keeping corruption allegations against the ruling dispensation in the public eye.

The BJP administration has not issued an immediate public response to Yadav's post. Opposition messaging of this kind — using vivid numerical contrasts and historical analogies — is a well-established feature of SP-BJP political rivalry in Uttar Pradesh, where governance performance and anti-corruption credibility are central electoral themes.

What's Next

Yadav's remarks are likely to intensify demands for an independent audit of CCTV tender awards, expenditure records, and any ongoing recovery proceedings linked to the project. State assembly sessions and upcoming local-body or state election cycles are expected to serve as forums where the opposition will press for official data on fund utilisation.

If formal audit findings or legislative debates surface, they could sharpen the political and legal dimensions of the controversy — and test whether the ruling party can rebut the corruption narrative with documented project outcomes.