Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath set off a political storm with a remark made on the floor of the Assembly, where he dismissed Opposition allegations over the alleged smuggling of Codeine cough syrup in the state.
Rejecting claims that the issue had led to the deaths of children, Adityanath asserted that no such fatalities had occurred in Uttar Pradesh.
Without naming anyone, he took a swipe at Opposition leaders, telling Samajwadi Party members, "There are two namoones (specimens), one is in Delhi, and the other in Lucknow. Whenever a discussion takes place in the country, he flees abroad. I think the same is happening with your babua. He would travel to England and you will keep shouting here."
The comment was widely interpreted as being aimed at Congress leader Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Adityanath has previously mocked leaders of the INDIA alliance, including Gandhi, Yadav and RJD leader Tejashwi Prasad Yadav, using sharp metaphors on the campaign trail.
During a Bihar election rally, he had said, "Just as Mahatma Gandhi had three monkeys, today the INDIA alliance brought in three monkeys in the name of Pappu, Tappu, and Appu (Rahul Gandhi, Tejashwi Yadav, and Akhilesh Yadav). Pappu cannot speak the truth or say anything good. Tappu cannot see any truth, and Appu cannot hear the truth."
Soon after Adityanath posted a video clip of his Assembly remarks on X, Akhilesh Yadav hit back, using the Chief Minister’s words to highlight the Opposition narrative of discord within the BJP.
Calling the comment a tacit admission, the Kannauj MP wrote, "No one thought that the Delhi-Lucknow clash would reach this point. Those on constitutional posts should not cross the line of decorum. The BJP should not bring its infighting into the open."
The Samajwadi Party has long alleged a power struggle between the Uttar Pradesh government and the BJP’s central leadership. Party leaders have cited the appointment of deputy chief ministers and select bureaucrats as signs of an attempt to curtail Adityanath’s authority.
The Chief Minister, however, has consistently rejected these claims, maintaining that his position rests firmly on the party’s support and dismissing talk of any rift between Lucknow and Delhi.
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