‘If I am a terrorist, so are they’: Akhilesh on BJP’s ‘link to terrorist’ remark

Responding to the photos shared by Union minister Anurag Thakur that allegedly show the terrorist’s father with Akhilesh Yadav, he said, “I saw BJP leaders touching the feet of a Pakistani General who later went on to become the President.”

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav launched an all-out attack at BJP leaders over their remarks that the 2008 Ahmedabad serial blasts case terrorist kin had links to the Samajwadi Party.

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav (File photo- ANI)

“I saw BJP leaders touching the feet of a Pakistani General who later went on to become the President. If I am a terrorist, then so are they,” he told news agency ANI.

Responding to the photos shared by Union minister Anurag Thakur that allegedly show the convicted terrorist’s father with Akhilesh Yadav, he said, “If just a photo is a parameter, with which leader can pics of industrialists running out of the country with money be seen?”

“As far as Anurag Thakur is concerned, he's a minister. When the (Ahmedabad) blast took place, around that time I and others sat in the same vehicle and went to the Defence office for Territorial Army training. If I'm a terrorist, so are they. Ask him about this,” SP chief Akhilesh Yadav told news agency ANI.

UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, during his election rally in Pilibhit district yesterday, linked the SP chief to one of the terrorist involved in the 2008 Ahmedabad blast case. “An Ahmedabad court pronounced the quantum of sentence for 38 terrorists in the (2008) serial blasts case. Capital punishment and life imprisonment were awarded. They included some terrorists from UP too. And, the family of one of them was seen with the SP chief asking for votes for the party,” he was quoted as saying by news agency ANI.

Polling in 59 constituencies for the third phase of the Uttar Pradesh elections is underway. Among the key constituencies where polling began today include Karhal where former chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is contesting his maiden Assembly election.