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JAM vs JAM: Akhilesh Yadav replies to Amit Shah’s criticism
Akhilesh Yadav said the BJP is making all the promises only because it’s election time but his party if elected, will help the poor for five years.
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday came up with another acronym to counter Union home minister Amit Shah’s criticism over his comments on Mohammad Ali Jinnah, which have stoked a controversy with both parties trading barbs at each other.
“Whatever their JAM means, the Samajwadi Party has come up with its own meaning for JAM. The BJP is J for 'jhooth' (lies), A for 'ahankaar' (arrogance), M for 'mehengai' (inflation) and the party doesn’t have any reply to all this. The BJP has to give a reply on their own JAM...," Akhilesh Yadav said during a press conference.
The SP leader said the BJP is making all the promises only because it’s election time but his party if elected, will help the poor for five years.
Also read | Ahead of UP polls, SP chief Akhilesh's Jinnah remark triggers political row
On Saturday, Union home minister Amit Shah coined an acronym 'JAM' to take a dig at Akhilesh Yadav asking people to choose between SP chief’s ‘JAM’ and Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s JAM.
Addressing a public rally in Azamgarh, the constituency of Akhilesh Yadav, Shah said that while government ushered in a positive 'JAM' that is J for Jan Dhan account, A for Aadhar Card, M for mobile phones, the SP had riled the state with another JAM - J for 'Jinnah, A for 'Azam Khan' and M for 'Mukhtar'.
“Now you tell me... do you want the BJP’s 'jam' or the Samajwadi Party’s?” Shah asked.
Also read | Uttar Pradesh free of riots under Yogi, says Amit Shah
"They do not want the development of Uttar Pradesh. They only believe in dividing society with casteism, riots, appeasement politics and vote bank politics. As polls approach, Akhilesh ji is seeing a great person in Jinnah. I want to ask the people of the minority community, 'Do you find a great person in Jinnah’?” Shah asked.
Akhilesh Yadav’s reference to Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the same breath as some of the icons of India’s freedom movement has snowballed into a controversy. Yadav made the comment at a public meeting in Hardoi earlier this month.
Also watch | 'JAM = Jinnah, Azam, Mukhtar': BJP's Amit Shah attacks SP chief Akhilesh Yadav
“Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru, and Mohammed Ali Jinnah studied in the same institute and became barristers. They helped (India) get freedom and never backed away from any struggle,” he said.
His comments, which have been defended by his party came on the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhai Patel, Independent India’s first home minister and the man credited with uniting the country by convincing the princely states to merge with the Union of India.
Uttar Pradesh, the country’s most politically important state, is scheduled to hold assembly polls early next year.
