“Concoction” Of Parties Should Not Be Taken Lightly: Akhilesh Yadav Attacks BJP

LUCKNOW: Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s tag of “mahamilawat” for the proposed united opposition today drew a barb from Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Pointing out that the “concoction” of parties should not be taken lightly, Mr Yadav said “you never know which party will get obliterated in the mahamilawat.”

The Prime Minister’s taunt came in the floor of the house yesterday during an all-out attack on the opposition as he replied to the debate on the Motion of Thanks. “Healthy democracy” of the country will reject the unhealthy mix in the coming national elections, PM Modi had said.

The description had offended Mr Yadav, who as one of the two main opposition leaders in the battleground state of Uttar Pradesh, is a key figure in the alliance.

Tweeting with the hashtag #NeverAgain, Mr Yadav also asked people to vow to not to fall prey to the BJP’s promises and measures.

In his barbs against the BJP government, the Samajwadi party chief listed demonetisation, farmers’ distress and mob lynching as reasons to not vote for the saffron party.

Soon after, his party ran a series of tweets with the same hashtag, endorsing Mr Yadav’s message to corner the Bharatiya Janata Party.

Arch-rivals Samajwadi Party and Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party have joined hands to push the BJP out of the 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh. Their alliance is seen as a challenge in the state that needs to be won for any party hoping to rule Delhi.

Speaking at a press conference, Mr Yadav said the alliance will remain intact and the seat-sharing details will be declared at the right time.

Both, however, supported Ms Banerjee during her huge face-off with the Centre earlier this week following the showdown between the CBI and the Kolkata police over the agency’s efforts to question the police chief on Ponzi schemes.