‘Not much difference between Akhilesh, Rahul’: Yogi's jibe at Samajwadi Party chief

LUCKNOW:  Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took a swipe in a lighter vein at leader of Opposition, Akhilesh Yadav, on the floor of the Assembly during his budget speech on Tuesday, saying there is not much difference between the Samajwadi Party chief and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Meanwhile, the Assembly, before being adjourned sine die on Tuesday, passed the state budget worth over Rs 6.15 lakh crore, the first of the second tenure of Yogi Adityanath as CM.

Yogi’s jibe came a day after Akhilesh had claimed during his speech in the Assembly that once during his regime as chief minister, a child misidentified him as Rahul Gandhi while he was visiting a government primary school.

Amid peals of laughter in both the treasury and the opposition benches, Yogi said,  “The leader of the Opposition said when he was CM, he visited a school and asked a child if he knew who he (Akhilesh) was. The child said he was Rahul Gandhi. Though kids are innocent, they’re pure at heart and truthful. Whatever that child said, he must have said that after a lot of thought.”

Yogi added in a lighter vein: “There is not much difference between the two of you. The only minor difference is that Rahul Gandhi criticises and condemns India in foreign countries, while you criticise Uttar Pradesh in other states.”

However, the MLA from Karha, who was UP chief minister from 2012 to 2017, was attacking the Yogi government over the state of education in the state when he recalled the episode.

“UP is among the bottom four states in education sector on Niti Ayog’s index. The government must be disappointed, we are too,” Akhilesh said, acknowledging, however, that he too was responsible.

Meanwhile, Samajwadi Party members on Tuesday staged a walkout from the Uttar Pradesh Legislative Council over the alleged leak of question papers of competitive exams in the last five years.

They alleged that an "organised gang patronised by the government" was leaking question papers and selling them for Rs 2-4 lakh.

The matter came up during the Zero Hour through an adjournment notice, when SP member Man Singh Yadav alleged that papers of competitive examinations were leaked continuously after the BJP formed government in 2017.

"In the 2017 assembly polls, BJP promised lakhs of jobs to unemployed youth, but after four months of formation of its government, the paper of sub-inspector exam was leaked," he said.

"In February 2018, UP Power Corporation Limited examination paper was leaked. In July 2018, Subordinate Selection Commission paper was also leaked. The government was not serious in holding competitive exams and it is an injustice to the examinees," he said.

Now, the Uttar Pradesh Board papers have also started leaking and recently, the English question paper of intermediate class was leaked.

"The government is not concerned about the future of the youth," he alleged.

Leader of Opposition Lal Bihari Yadav alleged that those sitting in big positions in the BJP government are leaking the question papers and selling them for Rs 2-4 lakh.

"This is an organised gang patronised by the government," he said.

Minister Jaswant Saini said all competitive exams are being held in a "transparent, honest and unbiased manner".

The minister also highlighted the appointments made by the government in various departments in the last five years and informed the House about the exams conducted to recruit people in various departments.

Unsatisfied with the reply, SP member Man Singh Yadav said that on one hand, the government had been denying any paper leak while on the other, it had been explaining the actions taken in various cases.

(With PTI Inputs)