Lucknow: Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav targeted Wednesday the BJP for propagating lies over the past five years, and spreading hatred to conceal falsehood.
“A few days ago a BJP leader had commented on those who make cow dung (pointing at Varun Gandhi, who referred to Samajwadi leaders as those who once used to make cow dungs). But the truth is that the woman whose picture was being used for campaigning, was actually using cow dung to make food. BJP has spread hatred to conceal its false propaganda,” Akhilesh tweeted in Hindi.
The former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister was referring to a ‘BBC’ news story ‘India gas scheme poster woman forced to cook with cow dung’ that said Guddi Devi, despite being one of the first beneficiaries of the scheme, still uses cow dung every day as fuel. The scheme was launched by Prime Minister Narendra Modi to help poor rural women buy cooking gas in 2016.
Varun, while campaigning for his mother Maneka Gandhi in Sultanpur, had said that those who made cow dung were now moving in expensive cars.
Akhilesh is contesting from the Azamgarh Lok Sabha constituency in Uttar Pradesh against BJP’s Nirahua, a Bhojpuri star. The seat was won by his dad Mulayam Singh Yadav in 2014. Akhilesh is confident that he will against emerge a comfortable winner.
It should be stated here also that Akhilesh during his tenure as Chief Minister had honoured Nirahua with the ‘Yash Bharati’ award. Now he is contesting against the same man whom he honoured.
“It happens,” Akhilesh reflected. “He (Nirahua) is representing the same party which has withdrawn the monthly remuneration given with the award. But then I don’t have any problems with anyone contesting against me,” he added.
Azamgarh will go to the polls May 12 in the sixth phase of the Lok Sabha polls.
