UP polls: Venkaiah Naidu backs PM, says Akhilesh is afraid of losing

New Delhi: Union information and broadcasting minister M. Venkaiah Naidu on Monday attacked Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav for his alleged remarks against Prime Minister Narendra Modi. He also castigated Mr Yadav Akhilesh for his “gadha” remark against Gujarat BJP leaders and said that the UP CM is “disturbed” and hence making such derogatory statements.

The CM had appealed to Bollywood actor Amitabh Bachchan to stop publicising donkeys of Gujarat through advertisements endorsed by him.

Mr Naidu alleged that the new Samajwadi Party chief had done nothing to improve the condition of “Bimaru UP” and had in fact turned over the cycle (SP’s electoral symbol) to the Congress. “It is out of the fear of losing (the ongoing Assembly elections) that the UP chief minister has taken to attack the PM and BJP chief,” he said.  

Targeting the SP-Congress alliance, the minister said the sole reason it came into being is because both the parties are not confident of winning.

On the repeated jibe that the PM was an “outsider” for UP, Mr Naidu said, “Gujarat is in India and not in Italy, as far as I know.”

Mr Naidu also did not find “anything wrong” with the PM’s comments at an election rally in Fatehpur. “Is demanding power for all without any discrimination wrong?” Mr Naidu asked.

He alleged that the SP has not done anything to help common people. “The state lives under a constant fear and lawlessness and goonda raj prevails,” he said.