Akhilesh Yadav should complete his apprenticeship first: Rajnath Singh - Hindustan Times
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Akhilesh Yadav should complete his apprenticeship first: Rajnath Singh

Hindustan Times | By, Varanasi
Feb 28, 2017 01:47 AM IST

Akhilesh Yadav should complete his apprenticeship to run the most populous state before staking the claim to the top post in the state again, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said in an apparent dig on the Uttar Pradesh chief minister on Monday.

Akhilesh Yadav should complete his apprenticeship to run the most populous state before staking the claim to the top post in the state again, Union home minister Rajnath Singh said in an apparent dig on the Uttar Pradesh chief minister on Monday.

Home minister Rajnath Singh also criticised the ruling Samajwadi Party’s ‘kaam bolta hai’ claim.(Agencies)
Home minister Rajnath Singh also criticised the ruling Samajwadi Party’s ‘kaam bolta hai’ claim.(Agencies)

“The UP chief minister has already accepted that he is on apprenticeship. After all, how long will he remain on an apprenticeship? Issue him a certificate as soon as possible. After completing his apprenticeship, he (Akhilesh) should say that now I am well qualified and people may consider giving me a chance (for the post of CM),” Singh told reporters in Varanasi, Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s parliamentary constituency.

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He also criticised the ruling Samajwadi Party’s ‘kaam bolta hai’ claim.

“Work doesn’t speak. It should be visible on the ground. It is not there. The SP government and the previous BSP regime didn’t carry out any development in the state,” Singh said.

Targeting Rahul Gandhi, Singh - without naming Sheila Dikshit - said the leader who made the remark that the Congress vice-president is still not mature and needs some time was the party’s chief ministerial candidate in UP before it formed an alliance with the SP.

“A senior Congress leader called the youth Congress leader immature. I don’t know whether he is immature or not since I have never seen him working closely, but the senior leader is very experienced and her guess must be true,” he said.

About the war of words during the election campaign, he said everyone should take care that the dignity of the Prime Minister’s position is never lowered.

“In poll speeches, words should be chosen very carefully. But this is not happening in this election. Use of unrestrained words against the Prime Minister is very unfortunate. I am very hurt by it. The intemperate language has hurt the public too.”

On the demand that the PM should give details about his achievements, Singh said toilets have been constructed in 11,000 schools across the state in the nearly three years since the BJP government came to power at the Centre. The minister said over 1,400 villages have been electrified and cited schemes like Ujjawala Yojana and others launched by the Centre.

Singh added the lotus (the BJP’s election symbol) will bloom amid the mud created by the SP and the BSP and that if the BJP came to power, it will ensure transparency and minimise corruption. The BJP was contesting the polls not only to form the government in the state also to ensure UP’s development, he said.

“We want to make UP Sarvottam Pradesh,” Singh said.

Of the five constituencies in Varanasi, the SP won two — Sevapuri and Rohaniya — in the previous polls in 2012. The state’s ruling party took Rohaniya in the 2014 bypoll that was held after the resignation of Anupriya Patel who was elected to the Lok Sabha.

The BJP holds the other three assembly segments — Varanasi North, South and Cantonment.

Varanasi will to the polls in the final round of the elections in the state on March 8. The results are due on March 11.

Watch an interesting conversation with Indian politician & former Union Minister of State, Milind Deora. HT’s senior journalist Kumkum Chadha talks to him about his life in politics & beyond. Watch Now!
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