Lucknow, Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Monday hit back at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s jibe about “two ‘samples’ in Delhi and Lucknow,” claiming the remark was aimed at BJP leaders and was clear evidence of infighting within the ruling party.
The Chief Minister had made the comment while responding to SP’s allegations regarding the alleged illegal trade of codeine cough syrup in the state assembly.
“There are two ‘samples’ in the country, one in Delhi and the other in Lucknow. Whenever there is any discussion in the country, these people run away from the country. And I think the same is happening with your ‘Babua’,” Adityanath said, without naming anyone, apparently targeting Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Yadav.
In his political rallies, Chief Minister Adityanath has often referred to Yadav as ‘Babua’.
Responding to the Chief Minister’s comment, Yadav said in a post on X that the statement amounted to “self-admission” and showed that the tussle between Delhi and Lucknow had reached an unprecedented level.
“Self-admission! Nobody expected that the Delhi-Lucknow fight would reach this point. People holding constitutional posts should at least maintain some decorum and not cross the limits of decency,” the former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister said. “BJP leaders should not bring their party’s internal conflicts out in the open,” Yadav said in a post. “If someone is upset, they might have to back down.”
In the assembly on Monday, the BJP and SP traded accusations over the alleged illegal trade of codeine cough syrup, with the opposition party claiming that hundreds of children had died. Chief Minister Adityanath strongly refuted the allegation, stating that no such case had come to the state government’s notice so far.
Launching a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party, Adityanath alleged that the largest wholesaler involved in the codeine syrup case, who was first arrested by the Special Task Force (STF) in 2016, was issued a license during the SP’s tenure in power.
He said, “I think if you delve deeper into this (syrup case), it all boils down to this: that somehow, a leader or person associated with the Samajwadi Party is involved. The transactions in the syrup case were also conducted through the account of an office-bearer of the Samajwadi Party’s Lohia Vahini. The STF is investigating this.”
Adityanath also warned of bulldozer action, saying, “Don’t worry, when the time comes, bulldozer action will also be taken. Don’t raise slogans then.”
On Saturday, Yadav had demanded “bulldozer action” against all those involved, regardless of their political affiliations, noting that the issue was connected not only to Uttar Pradesh but also to the Prime Minister’s parliamentary constituency of Varanasi.