Political rhetoric touched a new low in poll-bound Uttar Pradesh with Samajwadi Party chief and Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav asking mega star Amitabh Bacchan `to stop appearing in the advertisement promoting donkeys of Gujarat’. Yadav was speaking at an election rally at Rae Bareli on Monday.
During Narendra Modi’s tenure as Gujarat chief minister, Amitabh Bacchan was appointed as the brand ambassador of the Gujarat government and the promotional advertisements and carried the famous tagline `kuch din to gujaro Gujarat mein’.
“Kamal hai, gadhon kaa vigyapan hone lagaa. Socho desh kis disha mein jaa rahaa hai’ ( Its surprising that donkeys are being advertised which raises a big question over the direction the country is headed) said Yadav at the election meeting at Rae Baareli on Monday.
“I would like to appeal to the `mahanayak of the millennium’ to stop promoting `donkeys of Gujarat’. You all must have seen the promotional advertisement on TV. Donkey is domesticated animal and the people particularly the rural people are aware of the utility of the animal,’’ said the Chief Minister.
Jaya Bacchan, wife of Amitabh Bacchan is a two-term Rajya Sabha MP of Samajwadi Party. She is also campaigning for the party along with Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav’s MP wife Dimple Yadav.
Posing a question to the people Akhilesh Yadav said, ``Tell me whether donkeys need the publicity, yet the government of Gujarat is promoting donkeys.’’
Akhilesh Yadav red the whole text of the Gujarat government’s advertisement with focus on one line ``yah shahar wala gadha nahi hai, jo sadak par khada koi gahree baat sochta ho iske paas sochne samajhne ki fursat kahan’ (its no street donkey having the ability to think on some deep issues, this donkey has no time to think over anything).
Raeding out another line, Yadav said, ``Yah janaab duniya mein sirf yahi milenge , Ahemdabad se 150 km dur, maheeno ho gaye nahaaye huye lekin dikhte hain bilkul neat and clean (this animal is found only in Gujarat, 150 km away Ahmedabad, they have not bathed for months but still look very neat and clean).
Akhilesh Yadav also addressed election meeting in Amethi in favour of controversial minister Gyatri Prajapati. The UP Police has registered an FIR against the minister on charges of rape on the direction of the Supreme Court. The SP candidate and sitting MlA from Sultanpur Arun Verma is also facing rape charges. The woman who had earlier filed an FIR against the MlA were recently murdered in Sultanpur. Her father has lodged a named FIR against the MlA for murder of her daughter.
Defending the minister and the MlA Akhilesh Yadav said, ``There are many kinds of conspiracies against the party. But I appeal you to ensure the victory of the SP candidates.’’
“Charges were levelled against the SP government over the gang rape case in Badaun in 2014. The state government referred the matter to the CBI and the accused were given clean chit. The matter was also raised in United Nations,” said Akhilesh Yadav.
“I am repeatedly asked about the charges against Arun Verma and Gayatri Prajapati. I want to assure the people that the government will abide by directions of the High Court and the Supreme Court.’’ He said the charges against Arun Verma were investigated by the police on the orders of the Allahabad High Court.