Lucknow, May 23 (UNI) Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday expressed deep condolences on the untimely deaths of more than 50 people due to storm, rain and cyclone in the state, calling it extremely sad.

In a statement issued here, Akhilesh Yadav expressed condolences to the families of the deceased and said that the government should immediately compensate the affected families and help them in other ways.

He said that in the last three days, lakhs of people were affected by storms and rain in dozens of districts of the state. "Dozens of houses collapsed, people's homes were destroyed. Waterlogging occurred in many places including the Chief Minister's home district Gorakhpur. A large number of people were injured. Several dozen people died," he said.

The SP chief said that the government should not make announcements only on papers. "It should really help the families affected by storm and cyclone. 17 people have died in 10-12 districts including Lucknow due to the strong storm. About 22 people have died in Kanpur and nearby districts. 6 people have died in Fatehpur district. Similarly, two deaths have occurred in western UP's Meerut, two in Baghpat, one each in Hathras, Aligarh and other districts," he said.

He has demanded from the state government that justice be done to the victims with full sensitivity. "The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) government is an expert in making false announcements. This government has not fulfilled the previous promises made to the public," he said.

Akhilesh said, "During various disasters, this government did make announcements but the farmers and victims did not get help on the ground. In a democracy, it is the responsibility of the government to work for public interest and public welfare but the BJP government always discriminates. It ignores farmers, the poor and the victims."

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