Karhal by-poll: Akhilesh says BJP has become 'rishtedar-wadi', Yogi's minister retorts
Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav on Friday said the BJP, which accused his party of being "family-oriented", has become "rishtedar-wadi" (relative-oriented). Yadav's remark comes a day after the BJP fielded Anujesh Yadav as its candidate for by-poll in the Karhal assembly seat in Uttar Pradesh's Mainpuri district against SP's Tej Pratap Yadav.
Anujesh is related to Akhilesh, both being brothers-in-law.
BJP leader and UP MoS (Independent charge) for Social Welfare Asim Arun countered the SP chief's jibe, saying it was "not a contest between relatives" but "a fight of policies, a fight between truth and lies, and one between criminals and those abiding by the law".
"Today is the last day for filing nominations. The BJP's list is out.
"They used to accuse us of being family-oriented, but now they've surpassed us and have become 'rishtedar-wadi'," Akhilesh said while addressing a programme in Karhal's Dihuli, according to a post shared by the SP's official X account.
Accusing the BJP government of being "the most corrupt in the state's history," the SP chief said, "The BJP has hollowed out Uttar Pradesh. They have deceived the farmers, youth, and traders alike, and they've destroyed the agricultural markets."
The BJP has fielded Anujesh Yadav, uncle-in-law ('fufa') of SP candidate Tej Pratap Yadav, on the Karhal seat, considered an SP stronghold since 1993.
This race will see a "fufa versus bhatija (nephew)" contest, with Tej Pratap Yadav facing off against Anujesh Yadav, who is related to him by marriage.
Yadav also noted Karhal's historic ties with his late father and SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav, stating, "Karhal has an unbreakable bond with Netaji and socialists. This byelection will yield a historic result and Tej Pratap Yadav will win by a landslide."
Meanwhile, minister Arun said Anujesh Yadav filed his nomination as BJP candidate for Karhal bypoll on Friday.
Addressing a programme in support of Anujesh in Karhal, Arun said, "This is not a contest between relatives of a family, but a fight of policies, a fight between truth and lies, and one between criminals and those abiding by the law."
Narrating an anecdote, Arun said he has served in the police.
"Once I was in the adjoining Aligarh district and frequently police would arrest criminals from Mainpuri or vice-versa. But in the last seven years, have you heard of any such arrests in Mainpuri or kidnapping incidents?
"Why is that? Because it is the same law but the enforcer has changed. It is the same bulldozer which now got the correct driver," Arun said.
Campaigning in support of the BJP candidate, he asked the crowd if it wanted the jungle raj back in the region. Arun also slammed former SP block head Nawab Singh Yadav, who has been jailed in connection with the rape of a minor.
The minister also took a jibe at the SP harping on the PDA (pichhde, Dalit, alpasankhyak) family, saying the BJP was working for all sections of the society.
Byelections for nine assembly seats, including Karhal, in Uttar Pradesh are scheduled for November 13, with results to be declared on November 23.
In a statement issued from the SP headquarters, Yadav said, "The BJP knows they will never win Karhal or Milkipur (seat in Ayodhya). Despite their efforts, they're losing internal surveys in Milkipur, which is why they postponed the election there. They are aware of their defeat in Karhal as well."
He further predicted a "major loss" for the BJP coalition in the upcoming elections. "The BJP alliance is headed for a historic defeat," Yadav claimed.