Yadav also came down heavily on the Vajpayee government's decision to grant bonus of Rs 55 per quintal over and above the minimum price of Rs 455 per quintal for 1998-99 season for wheat.

Actually, the price should have been at least Rs 60 crore he said, adding that the United Front government had made an hefty hike while the BJP-led government had reduced it by Rs 5.

Yadav who was here to preside over the party's two-day national convention told reporters that the BJP-led government has failed to take any policy decision to tackle the present economic crisis in the country. "The government is anti-farmer as their agonies remained unattended," he added.Yadav made a mention of sufferings of cotton growers from Vidarbha region of the state due to severe crop damage in the wake of unseasonal rains andhailstorms. He alleged that the ruling Shiv Sena-BJP government in the state has also shown apathy and neglect towards the farmers.Yadav pooh-pooped the BJP's stability plank and expressed serious doubts over the longevity of its survival in the wake of internal contradictions in the alliance partners. He said that his party has an increased responsibility to lead the fight against communal and fascist forces after the installation of a BJP-led coalition government at the centre which should be toppled at the earliest.

Yadav reiterated that the top priority was to topple the BJP-led government which was "ridden with discontent over ministerial berths and does not have the mandate of the people."

He gave a clarion call to all former socialists to return to their original ideology and join the Samajwadi Party in bringing down the BJP-led government. When asked how he planned to bring down the central government, Yadav said the goal was clear and the strategy would be formulated during the next couple ofdays.In an attack on defence minister George Fernandes, Yadav compared him to socialists in Germany who had supported Hitler's fascist regime.He strongly criticised the Vajpayee government for its attempt to review the constitution and said "it is a step towards dictatorship." Expressing concern over the repeated statements by the Vajpayee government about reviewing the constitution, he remarked that "it is very serious....And not in the interest of the country.It is a step towards dictatorship, and even the tyrant Hitler made attempts to change the constitution when he came to power in Germany."

Yadav said that only "fascist-minded people can think of it and added that in the past the sections of the constitution has been amended as per the need and people have supported it, and the SP was not objected to amendments.However, he stated that the word-reviewing seems dangerous and the SP will not allow the BJP-led coalition to change the constitution.

Yadav declared that the SP would launch a state-wideagitation and jail bharo stir if the Shiv Sena-BJP government in Maharashtra failed to release TADA detenus and make the Srikrishna commission report on the 1992-93 Mumbai riots public.