In a jibe at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's remarks on Bangladesh, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday said he wants to become the prime minister but should not be already interfering in foreign affairs decisions that are taken by New Delhi.
Speaking at a programme in Agra earlier in the day, Adityanath reiterated the need for "unity" and "avoid the mistakes" that happened in Bangladesh.
"Aap dekh rahe hain Bangladesh mein kya ho raha hai? Wo galtiyan yahan nahi honi chahiye. Batenge to katenge! Ek rahenge to nek rahenge, surakshit rahenge aur samriddhi ki parakashtha jo pahuchenge. (Are you seeing what is happening in Bangladesh? Those mistakes should not take place here. If divided, we will be cut. If divided, we will be cut. If we remain united, we will be good, secure and reach the pinnacle of prosperity)," Adityanath said.
During an interaction with mediapersons here on Janmashtami, when asked about the chief minister's remarks on strife-torn Bangladesh, Yadav said, "He (Adityanath) wants to become the prime minister but at least he should not play the role of prime minister. This is the job of the prime minister, the government of India to decide the relations India wants with which country of the world.
"This is not the first time that the chief minister has done something like this. He has done it in the past too. I hope 'Delhi-wale' will make him understand that he should not interfere in the decisions that are taken by Delhi," the former UP chief minister said.
The Samajwadi Party (SP) president said the wheel of politics has reached a point today that every party is talking about caste census.
"I remember that in Lok Sabha, leaders of Samajwadi Party from South India, Lalu Prasad Yadav ji, Sharad Yadav ji and many leaders from south India have been demanding caste census. And today the situation has become such that every party wants to do caste census," he said.
The opposition INDIA bloc leader meanwhile also took a potshot at the Bharatiya Janta Party (BJP) over the issues of old pension scheme and caste census, predicting that the central government will soon make a U-turn on both subjects.
"I am not saying this for the first time. A year ago, I had said the Bharatiya Janata Party will also accept and come forward for caste census.
"Earlier also, caste census was done but its data was not shared. Now we hope that caste census will also be done and its answer will also be brought forward," he said.
On the upcoming byelections in the state, the SP chief exuded confidence about people's support to his party.
"Jab janta hai sang, to kya karega Sangh (RSS), wo Sangh jo chhupke ran-neeti bana raha hai (What will the RSS, which is silently preparing a strategy, do when public is with us)," Yadav quipped.
On Mayawati's recent social media posts in which she first thanked SP and later slammed it since a BJP leader made a controversial comment on her during a TV debate, Yadav said his party raises issues of PDA family [picchde, Dalit and alpsankhyank (backward, Dalit and minority communities)] but blamed her U-turn on the BJP.
"As far as political principle and vision is concerned, we are the kind of people who want respect for PDA in politics as well as in society. Often several politicians of different parties have faced such situation (disrespect)," he said.
The SP chief alleged that the kind of attitude the BJP leader had towards the BSP leader, that is the typical BJP attitude which the PDA families have seen for centuries.
"We will always continue to raise our voice wherever anyone from PDA family is suffering. She has extended 'aabhaar' (gratitude), I want to thank her for it because the political situation now is such that no one even wants to acknowledge gratitude.
"I also see a conspiracy of the BJP in it. The BJP does not want anyone to come together with anyone else. And the truth is that the BJP never genuinely respects anyone in the PDA family," he claimed.
Mayawati's BSP is officially not aligned with either the BJP-led NDA or the opposition INDIA bloc, whose part Yadav-led SP is.
Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by The Telegraph Online staff and has been published from a syndicated feed.
