'Only those having families can feel others' pain': Akhilesh's dig at Yogi

In an apparent retort to Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who had a few days ago referred to Samajwadi Party (SP) patron Mulayam Sing Yadav as SP president Akhilesh Yadav's 'abbajaan' (father in Urdu), the latter on Wednesday said that those without families would never understand the pains and sufferings of people, who had families.

Addressing a public meeting at Banda, Akhilesh said that lakhs of people had to walk to their home towns, when lockdown was imposed during the pandemic as the state government failed to arrange transport for them. ''Many people died while walking....the cops extorted money from them...the state government did nothing for them,'', he said.

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"Only those having families can feel the pains and sufferings of the people," Akhilesh said apparently referring to Adityanath.

He also attacked the BJP government for "failing to arrange fertilisers" for the farmers and rising prices.

Adityanath had earlier, in a sarcastic remark, called Mulayam as Akhilesh Yadav's 'abbajan'. Adityanath's jibe came when his attention was drawn to Akhilesh's remarks that he (Akhilesh) was a "more devout" Hindu that the BJP leaders.

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"If it is so then why did his (Akhilesh) abbajan declare that even a bird would not be able to enter Ayodhya?," Adityanath had said while referring to the assertion of Mulayam, who was then the chief minister of UP, when the karsevaks threatened to demolish the Babri Masjid in Ayodhya in 1990.

A furious Akhilesh had warned Adityanath to be careful in his choice of words. "The CM should be careful in choosing his words....I will too start saying things about his (Adityanath) family if he does not stop," he had said.

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