Lucknow: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday hit back at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over his dare to contest from the Ayodhya assembly constituency, saying the party's candidate, Pawan Pandey, is enough to "blow the arrogance" of the BJP government.
Speaking to reporters after garlanding the statue of Jayaprakash Narayan at the Jayaprakash Narayan International Centre (JPNIC) here, Yadav took a dig at the chief minister, saying that someone who "was unsure of getting a party ticket" to contest the assembly elections was challenging him.
"The arrogant people will be blown away by the wind of our 'Pawan'. Whose ticket was finalised first? It was Pawan Pandey from Ayodhya. The wind of Pawan will not spare this arrogant government," he said.
"Tell me, does a chief minister distribute (election) tickets? Even he (Adityanath) has to get in line to get a ticket. Not only that, but he also has to plead for others to get a ticket. One who is unsure whether he will get a ticket is speaking about getting a ticket for others. Get your own ticket confirmed, then challenge me," he said.
"In order to get a ticket (to contest elections) from a party, one has to become a member. Was he a member of the BJP before becoming the chief minister? The BJP workers had toiled hard, whereas he (Aditanath) came wearing black spectacles and became the CM," he added.
The SP chief's remark comes a day after Adityanath accepted Yadav's challenge to file his nomination from Ayodhya for the upcoming Assembly elections.
The Samajwadi Party chief retorted that a "gust of wind" would sweep away the chief minister's arrogance.
Addressing a public meeting in Balrampur, Adityanath said both leaders should contest from Ayodhya.
Adityanath currently represents the Gorakhpur Urban Assembly constituency in the UP Legislative Assembly.
"Akhilesh ji, Ayodhya is our sacred abode. I visit Ayodhya repeatedly to ensure there is no lapse in its development and the identity of Uttar Pradesh is not tarnished in any way. It is a centre of our faith and devotion. We go there not to contest elections, but for its development," Adityanath had said.
"I invite you to file your nomination from Ayodhya. I will also try my luck there once. The fight should be face-to-face," he said.
Reacting to Adityanath's invitation, Yadav posted on X, "Pawan ka jhonka aayega, ahankar sab ud jayega" (A gust of wind will come and sweep away all arrogance).
Referring to Pawan Pandey, Akhilesh said a young "PDA Prahari" (guardian of PDA) would be enough to defeat those involved in the alleged theft of offerings, donations and contributions in Ayodhya.
"Those who give a clean chit to thieves are actually their accomplices," he said, adding that people would "bring down all the arrogance" this time.
Yadav, a former chief minister, referred to the 2024 Lok Sabha elections, when the party won the Faizabad seat, which falls under Ayodhya, and questioned whether the BJP had learnt anything from the result.
Samajwadi Party candidate Awadhesh Prasad had defeated BJP's Lallu Singh from the seat in the 2024 general elections.
Yadav had also said that the women in Ayodhya would respond to those who had allegedly insulted a grieving mother in public.
On the chief minister's dare, Yadav quipped, "Your internal surveys must have told you that nobody from your side wants to contest the elections in Ayodhya."
The CM had also criticised the lack of development in Ayodhya under the Samajwadi Party government, alleging that the city used to receive only three to four hours of electricity and remained littered with heaps of garbage.
He also alleged that the Samajwadi Party government had imposed restrictions on Ramlila performances and erected barricades in Ayodhya.
"The same Ayodhya is today writing a new chapter of development while giving shape to a new concept of Ram Rajya," he had said.
The exchange comes as the state is set to head for polls early next year.
