Attacking Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the chief ministerial candidate was "insecure" about his seat and had to seek help from his father whom he had "humiliated" to capture the party.
''The seat, which these people considered as the safest, is also getting out of their reach," Modi said at a rally here, in an apparent reference to the Karhal constituency from where Yadav is contesting in his family stronghold of Mainpuri.
Ahead of the third phase polling in Uttar Pradesh, SP patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav had campaigned for his son Akhilesh Yadav in the constituency, though he maintained a low profile during this election.
The Karhal seat with a majority of Muslim and Yadav voters is considered safe for the SP as these communities have over the years favoured the party in the caste-dominated politics of Uttar Pradesh.
Modi targeted Akhilesh Yadav who was seen in a video purportedly pushing Mulayam Singh Yadav on the stage during a power struggle within the party before the 2017 Assembly elections.
"You must have seen, the father who was pushed from the stage was humiliated and the party was captured, he had to plead to him for saving the seat," the prime minister said, without naming anyone.
"If the chief ministerial candidate himself is insecure about his constituency, you can gauge the direction of the wind," Prime Minister Modi said.
Modi alleged that mafia and criminals dictated the terms during the Samajwadi Party rule.
"Due to riots, curfew, extortion, the life of traders and businessmen was extremely difficult. The BJP government has brought UP out of this darkness, Modi said.
"Under Yogiji's government, UP has shown improvement in law and order. That's why UP is saying - we will bring those who have brought security and honour," he added.
He also took a swipe at Akhilesh Yadav over his outburst against police personnel at a recent election rally.
''Those abuses from the stage, that threat was not only for the police of UP. It was an attempt to give courage to rioters and his mafia friends," the prime minister said.
Batting for a second term for Yogi Adityanath, Modi said, "Today in UP there is only one echo everywhere- '2017 me haraya tha, 2022 me phir se harayenge, UP ke log keh rahe hain Yogiji ko layenge' ( People of UP are saying that you will be defeated in 2022 as in 2017, and we will bring Yogiji again).
"For the dynasts, the biggest priority is their and their close one's interests. If the people of UP are insulted anywhere, they turn a blind eye to it if it does not serve their interest," he said.
Hitting out at West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee for campaigning for the SP in UP, Modi said, "Those who had insulted the people of UP during the West Bengal polls were also brought here by these dynasts."
"They dynast spread red carpets and invite such people for their campaign, who laugh at people of Uttar Pradesh for their food, dressing and dialect. Such parties neither care about UP nor but people here. All they need is 'kursi' (chair)," he said.
He alleged that for the SP, the "government means ATM".
"Take out as many notes as you want and fill your house through government. For the BJP, the government is only a medium and an opportunity to serve crores of citizens," he said.
Referring to the problem of stray cattle, the prime minister said, "A new system will be made after March 10 to deal with the problems that you people face due to stray animals. A system will be made so that you can earn income from the dung of an animal that does not give milk."
Attacking opposition parties for speaking against the COVID-19 vaccine, the prime minister said many countries were queuing up for the vaccines made in India.
"But these people opened a front against the vaccine that saved the life of the poor. It was said that this is BJP's vaccine," he said.
Taking a dig at rivals, Modi said after the assembly election results are out on March 10, these parties will say they lost because of the "BJP vaccine which made people press the lotus symbol" on the voting machines.
Unnao is going to polls on February 23 in the fourth phase.
(Only the headline and picture of this report may have been reworked by the Business Standard staff; the rest of the content is auto-generated from a syndicated feed.)
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