Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday appeared to question the patriotism of the people of Gujarat when he said no soldier from the state was martyred, in remarks that BJP says have stemmed from “frustration”.
“UP, Madhya Pradesh, Dakshin Bharat, har jagah se shaheed huye hain, Gujarat ka koi jawan shaheed hua ho toh batao (Jawans from UP, Madhya Pradesh, South India and other parts of the country have sacrificed their lives but tell me if anyone has been martyred from Gujarat),” he said.
Without naming BJP, he said, “They play politics in the name of martyrs, vande matram and nationalism. What is their definition (of nationalism)? They do not even consider us Hindus.”
He was apparently targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi, a Gujarat politician whose rise in national politics has been blamed by his detractors for the growth of aggressive nationalism.
Reacting sharply to Yadav’s statement, UP deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “His talk and politics have been discarded by the people of the state. That is the reason why he is making such statements in frustration.”
Denouncing the comments of Yadav as “unwarranted”, Maurya said that those laying down their lives for the country were Indians first.
{{/usCountry}}Denouncing the comments of Yadav as “unwarranted”, Maurya said that those laying down their lives for the country were Indians first.
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