Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday attacked Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his remark that the SP chief was a :leader of goons”.
“Meri bhi tasveer dekhlo aap aur unki bhi dekhlo, mafia kon lagega yeh bata do (You can see my picture and his too, tell me who would be considered a mafia),” Akhilesh said.
The SP chief also clarified that he never referred to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in his “mafia and head of mutt are the same” remark.
“Here the statements of the chief minister and the mahant are coming in a different way. The SP and especially I have never said anything about any saint, any of our mahant, any sanyasi. If they feel that the word is such that it is being interpreted in a certain way, then we will say that he is not our chief minister, he is a ‘Mathadhish CM...,” the SP chief said.
The comment by SP chief came a day after Uttar Pradesh minister of state Sanjay Gangwar accused Akhilesh Yadav of being a leader of mafia and criminals. Gangwar claimed that Yadav has lost his mental equilibrium following the recent Lok Sabha elections, resulting in erratic statements.
“People have seen his relationship with the likes of Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari,” Gangwar said, adding, “a donkey will see others as donkeys”.
He suggested that khilesh Yadav’s perceptions are influenced by his own experiences during his time in office.
“He himself is a leader of mafias and criminals,” the minister asserted.
On Wednesday, Yogi Adityanath had also accused the SP of cowing down to criminals and denigrating religious leaders.
“Samajwadi Party members used to rub their noses in front of notorious mafias and criminals. As per their culture, they call religious leaders mafias,” Yogi Adityanath said at an event, referring to Akhilesh Yadav’s controversial statement.
Akhilesh Yadav also lashed out at the Bharatiya Janata Party over the One Nation, One Election initiative saying “if it is truly BJP’s intention to avoid expenses then, why does the BJP hold so many rallies”.
“One fine morning the BJP will also question the need for an Election Commission in the country, saying that a lot of expenditure is made on EC officers. After the One Nation, One Election is implemented, they will point out that there is no need for the Election Commission and that a lot of money is spent on the EC officers,” he said and added, “If One Nation, One Election gets implemented, officers and workers will be brought through lateral entry and they will be outsourced.”
The SP chief also slammed the BJP government for poor maintenance of the Taj Mahal, situated on the bank of Yamuna river in Agra.
Reacting to a media report that highlights the poor condition of the Mughal monument which is a UNESCO World Heritage site, Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP government and its dormant departments have completely failed to maintain the Taj Mahal, the wonder that attracts tourists from all over the world.
