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Lok Sabha Elections 2019 : Akhilesh hits back at Rahul, says Congress biggest betrayer
Rahul Gandhi, who was in the state this week, had described the Akhilesh-Mayawati-Ajit Singh team as an opportunistic alliance that was afraid to stand up to the ruling BJP alliance at the Centre.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who had once counted the Congress as part of the grand alliance in Uttar Pradesh, on Friday delivered a stinging comeback to Congress chief Rahul Gandhi for running down his tie-up with Mayawati’s Bahujan Samaj Party and Ajit Singh’s Rashtriya Lok Dal. “The Congress is the biggest betrayer party in the country,” Akhilesh Yadav shot back to a question on Rahul Gandhi’s comment. It was a reference to the recent review petition filed by "a Congress leader" in the Supreme Court about an old disproportionate assets case against Mulayam Yadav and his family.
“The Congress is no different from the BJP. It was in the Congress regime that the CBI probe was initiated against Netaji (Mulayam Singh Yadav), my wife Dimple, and me. Then the case was closed; now again a Congress leader has filed a review petition in the Supreme Court (in the original disproportionate assets case). We do not fear CBI or ED," Yadav said at a press conference here.
Rahul Gandhi, who was in the state this week, had described the Akhilesh-Mayawati-Ajit Singh team as an opportunistic alliance that was afraid to stand up to the ruling BJP alliance at the Centre. “The CBI and ED have their keys. They could not speak freely due to their fear but I can speak freely,” Gandhi told a rally at Badaun on Thursday. Rahul Gandhi had presented himself as a sharp contrast to the alliance leaders.
“I do not fear anyone... no one can subdue my voice,” he said. Rahul Gandhi’s swipe at the alliance had taken some in the Samajwadi Party by surprise. The alliance had decided not to field candidates on Rae Bareli and Amethi seats that former Congress president Sonia Gandhi and Rahul Gandhi have represented in the Lok Sabha. When initial talks to include the Congress in the alliance did not work out, Akhilesh Yadav had gone to great lengths to insist that the Congress was still a part of this alliance. Some of the initial bonhomie did though wear thin in subsequent weeks. Akhilesh Yadav’s strong defence of the alliance and the counterattack on Rahul Gandhi came hours after a string of joint rallies by the three alliance leaders.
‘Impose 72-hour ban on Yogi again’
Akhilesh Yadav demanded re-imposition of the 72-hour ban on chief minister Yogi Adityanath after the latter referred to the SP-BSP-RLD alliance’s Sambhal candidate Shafiq-ur-Rehman Barq as ‘Babur ki aulad (descendant of Babur).
Adityanath made the remark in his first speech at Sambhal after the end of the 72-hour ban by the Election Commission.
Attacking Prime Minister Narendra Modi and holding him responsible for all "hate speeches", Akhilesh said: "This problem would have not cropped up had the Election Commission banned Modi (then the prime minister candidate of BJP) in 2014.”
SITTING BJP MP, FORMER MLA, SON JOIN SP
LUCKNOW/GORKAHPUR Bharatiya Janata Party's sitting MP from Machlishahr Ram Charit Nishad joined the Samajwadi Party (SP) here on Friday.
Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav indicated Nishad might be fielded in the ongoing Lok Sabha polls. Former Gorakhpur MLA Rajmati Nishad and her son Amrendra Nishad too joined the SP on the occasion.
Rajmati and Amrendra had left the SP earlier and now are back with the party, said Akhilesh. Amrendra had hoped to contest the Gorakhpur Lok Sabha seat on the BJP ticket, but when the saffron party fielded Ravi Kishan, he was upset with BJP.
Amrendra Nishad is the son of former SP heavy weight Jamuna Nishad .
“Yes, I have rejoined SP to serve people with Samajwadi ideology ,” Amrendra said soon after being reinducted in the party.
The widely discussed comeback has taken place within 42 days of Amrendra joining the BJP in the presence of chief minister Yogi Adityanath in Lucknow. The move had triggered speculations that he could be pitted against sitting SP MP Praveen Nishad , son of Nishad party chief Sanjay Nishad, who too switched sides and joined the BJP later.
The SP has fielded Ram Bhuwal Nishad in Gorakhpur.
