"Akhilesh Ali Jinnah": BJP Shreds Samajwadi Chief Over Pak Founder Remark

At an election campaign in UP's Hardoi yesterday, Akhilesh Yadav had praised Sardar Vallabh Bhai Patel on his 146th birth anniversary. Then he added, "Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah studied at the same institute and became barristers. They became barristers and they fought for India's freedom. They never backed away from any struggle''.

With months to go for the Uttar Pradesh elections, the remark on the Pakistan founder triggered a huge political controversy, with the BJP brass and AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi roasting the Samajwadi Party chief.  

"His divisive mindset came to the fore once again when he tried to glorify Jinnah by equating Sardar Patel with him. It's the Talibani mentality that believes in dividing," Yogi Adityanath said, demanding an apology from the Samajwadi leader.

Mr Yogi's deputy, Keshav Prasad Maurya, dubbed Mr Yadav "Akhilesh Ali Jinnah" and his party – the "Namaaz Wadi Party".

 "If Akhilesh Yadav is called Akhilesh Ali Jinnah, there will be no difference. By taking the name of Muhammad Ali Jinnah, he has shown disrespect to countless people who sacrificed their lives for the country. He has also insulted Sardar Patel by indulging in politics of appeasement," Mr Maurya said.

"If Akhilesh Yadav thinks that by giving such statements he can make a section of people happy, I think he is wrong and he should change his advisers. He should also educate himself and read some history," said Asaduddin Owaisi.

In a tweet in Hindi, Bahujan Samaj Party chief Mayawati alleged that Mr Yadav's remarks on Jinnah and the BJP's response are part of a well-thought-out strategy by the two parties to vitiate the atmosphere and create polarisation ahead of the assembly polls.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar too, took a stance at variance with ally BJP. "Those who are creating controversies were not around when country got freedom and had played no role in freedom movement," he said, adding that there is "no point discussing all this".

The BJP has always accused the Samajwadi Party – which has support among the Muslims and Yadavs -- of Muslim appeasement. At one point, party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav was dubbed "Maulana Mulayam".

Earlier, Jaswant Singh was expelled from the BJP after writing a book that allegedly glorfied the Pakistan founder. Party patriarch LK Advani's praises for Jinnah during his visit to  Pakistan in 2005, had also miffed the  BJP.