Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday, 19 August launched a sharp attack on the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) over Enforcement Directorate (ED) searches conducted at multiple locations linked to jailed former Rampur MP Azam Khan, accusing the ruling party of targeting institution-builders while shielding those allegedly involved in corruption. The ED searches were conducted across sites in Uttar Pradesh and Delhi in connection with a money laundering probe linked to Khan and matters concerning Mohammad Ali Jauhar University and its associated trust.

Yadav's Charge: Raids to Appease 'Communal' Base

Taking to social media platform X, Yadav alleged that the ED action was designed to placate what he described as the BJP's residual 1-2 per cent 'communal, narrow-minded' support base. In his post, he wrote: 'Anti-education, anti-teacher, and anti-student BJP members and their allies, who shut down schools, are conducting ED raids against those building universities, just so they can appease their remaining 1-2 per cent supporters who cling to communal, narrow-minded illogical thinking, while no action is being taken against those corrupt individuals involved in the following criminal scandals.'

The Kannauj MP accompanied the post with a list of alleged wrongdoing he claimed the BJP government has overlooked, framing the ED action as selective enforcement.

Scandals Yadav Says Are Being Ignored

In his enumeration of alleged unaddressed cases, Yadav cited the Ram Temple donation theft case, a codeine scandal, and the deteriorating condition of several expressways in Uttar Pradesh. He alleged that the Bundelkhand Expressway has fallen into disrepair, the Purvanchal Expressway has become rutted, and the Kanpur-Lucknow Expressway is pockmarked with potholes.

Yadav further raised questions over alleged cracks in a green corridor, damaged bridges, collapsing water tanks, and crumbling station walls — all of which he attributed to governance failures under the BJP administration.

Corruption Allegations Spanning Multiple Fronts

The SP chief broadened his attack beyond infrastructure, alleging that corrupt police officers have been caught not only in Uttar Pradesh but in other BJP-governed states as well. He questioned the alleged misappropriation of funds during the Maha Kumbh Mela and raised concerns about widespread irregularities in the rollout of Smart City projects across the country.

Yadav also alleged that BJP representatives were involved in illegal construction on unapproved land. He further claimed that a purported distribution of around ₹7,000 crore had taken place, suggesting that a 'layer of publicity' was used to obscure the alleged wrongdoing and divert public attention.

Background: ED Probe Into Azam Khan and Jauhar University

The ED searches that triggered Yadav's remarks are part of a money laundering investigation centred on Azam Khan, who is currently in judicial custody, and the affairs of Mohammad Ali Jauhar University in Rampur along with its associated trust. The probe spans multiple locations across Uttar Pradesh and Delhi.

This is not the first time the ED's actions against individuals linked to the SP have drawn accusations of political targeting from the party. Yadav's latest broadside signals that the SP intends to keep the controversy alive as a political flashpoint ahead of future electoral contests in Uttar Pradesh.