Notwithstanding Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's continued attacks on Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) President Jayant Chaudhary, Union Home Minister Amit Shah on Thursday again extended an olive branch to the RLD leader and asked him to part ways with Samajwadi Party (SP) supremo Akhilesh Yadav.
Addressing an election meeting in Bulandshahar, Shah sought to remind Jayant that Akhilesh had "sidelined" his father, SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav, and uncle Shivpal Singh Yadav. "Do you expect a person, who does not listen to his father and uncle, to listen to you (Jayant)?... you are living in a fool's paradise," the former BJP national president said.
"If the SP forms a government in the state, Jayant will be shown the door within three days; Azam Khan will be released from jail and join the government," he said.
In his address, the Shah listed the achievements of the centre and the state government and said that the "double engine" government had taken several steps for the development of the state.
Shah had met scores of Jat community leaders in Delhi a few days ago in a bid to placate them and seek their support in the forthcoming assembly polls. He had earlier also said that Jayant was welcome to join the BJP-led alliance in UP. "Jayant Chaudhary has chosen the wrong home," Shah had said.
BJP MP Pravesh Verma, who is from the Jat community, had also said that his party's doors were open to Jayant. "We can join hands even after the assembly polls," Verma had said, hinting that Jayant could cross over to the BJP camp in the event of a hung assembly in the state.
Shah's invitation to Jayant was in sharp contrast to Adityanath's attacks on the RLD president. Adityanath had recently said that the duo (Jayant-Akhilesh) had joined hands to engineer communal riots in the state.
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