'Two namoone' flee when serious matter comes up, says Yogi; Akhilesh hits back

Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday, without taking names, took a jibe at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav, saying there are “two namoone” who flee the country whenever a serious matter comes up in the nation.

He made these remarks while replying to SP’s allegations over the illegal trade of codeine cough syrup during the second day of the Vidhan Sabha’s winter session.

Reacting to the chief minister's remark, SP president Akhilesh Yadav called the statement "an open admission of internal discord within the BJP". SP claimed that illegal trade had run into thousands of crores of rupees and alleged that hundreds of children had lost their lives, a charge strongly denied by the BJP-led government in the state.

Replying to the issue raised by the opposition as soon as the House proceedings began, the chief minister said the matter appeared to be “politically motivated”.

He said, “There are two namoone in the country, one in Delhi and the other in Lucknow. Whenever there's a discussion in the country, these individuals run away.” “And I think the same thing is happening with your 'Babaua’. He will also leave the country again for a trip to England, and you people will keep shouting here," Adityanath said.

In his political rallies, Adityanath targets SP chief Akhilesh Yadav as 'Babua".

"I think if you delve deeper into this, it all boils down to the same thing: that somehow, some leader or individual associated with the Samajwadi Party is involved,” he claimed.

“The transaction in the syrup case that took place also went through the account of an office-bearer of the Samajwadi Party's Lohia Vahini. The STF is investigating this," he said.

The SP president also hit back at the chief minister’s “two namoone” remark in the state Assembly, calling it an open admission of internal discord within the BJP.

Yadav said in a post on X that the statement amounted to “self-acceptance” and showed the tussle between Delhi and Lucknow had reached an “unexpected level”.

“Self-admission! No one had expected that the Delhi-Lucknow fight would reach this point. People holding constitutional positions should maintain at least some sense of propriety and not cross the limits of decorum,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said.

He also took a swipe at the ruling party, asking it not to air its internal differences in public.

“BJP leaders should not bring their party’s internal infighting to the crossroads. If someone takes offence, they may have to retreat,” Yadav said in the post.