Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh on Sunday said there was no rift in the party and that his son Akhilesh Yadav will become Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister again.
“There is no rift in Samajwadi Party. Akhilesh will become Chief Minister as a lot of development work was done in his regime,” Mr. Singh told presspersons after casting his vote here.
Asked why he was not actively campaigning for the candidates of the Samajwadi Party, he said, “I am campaigning. Other phases are left, I will campaign.”
The third phase of the Assembly elections got over on Sunday.
The remaining phases will be held on 23 and 27 February and March 4 and 8.
Asked about his brother Shivpal Yadav, who is contesting from Jaswant Nagar, Yadav said, “He will win by a big margin.” On “adopted son” remark of PM Narendra Modi, he said, “He can say whatever he wants .”
Priyanka Gandhi too joined her brother and Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi in attacking Modi over his “adopted son” remark, saying in Rae Bareli on Friday that UP does not need an outsider when it has its own youth to take it forward.
“Modiji, does the State need to adopt anyone from outside? Is there no youth here?...You have two such youth in Rahulji and Akhileshji before you who have UP in their hearts and mind,” Ms. Priyanka had said.
Even today on Sunday, Mr. Modi said in Fatehpur that, “U.P. is like my ’mai-baap’ (parent). I am not a son who will ditch his ’mai-baap’ I will always take care of Uttar Pradesh.”
Ú.P.’s ‘Own daughter’
Amid exchange of barbs on the adopted son remark, BSP supremo Mayawati has said in her own style that people of UP have decided to ensure the victory of their “own daughter” rather than the “adopted son” in the ongoing polls.
