Lucknow: After the Samajwadi Party government in Uttar Pradesh came under stinging attack for organising its annual event, the extravagant 'Saifai Mahotsav' at a time when the future of Muzaffarnagar riot victims remains uncertain, Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday targeted media by saying, "Media houses are part of the conspiracy against the Samajwadi Party and the party did not do any partiality in providing relief to the riot victims."
"People want to play politics in the name of muzaffarnagar, media was biased in reporting Safai incident. Whatever money Salman Khan got he gave it for welfare of the poor children and only one crore was spent in Safai Mahotsav," he added.
The Akhilesh government faced severe criticism after Bollywood stars Salman Khan and Madhuri Dixit performed during the concluding ceremony of the 15-day long event in Saifai. Actors Soha Ali Khan and Ranveer Singh had also attended the event at Samajwadi Party supremo Mulayam Singh Yadav's native village.
Akhilesh Yadav had also defended his government's Saifai Mahotsav saying the budget for the festival was around Rs six to seven crores but never Rs 300 crores as alleged by a section of the media.
Specially critical of a section of the media for running stories against the Mahotsav, the Chief Minister had claimed that the daily, which carried that the budget of the festival was Rs 300 crores, had called for an apology.
"It's being said purposely that the budget for Saifai Mahotsav was Rs 300 crores. Those who are making such a claim should apologise or else give the details of the expenditure made for the festival," Akhilesh had earlier said at a press conference in Lucknow.
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