Akhilesh Yadav launches Samajwadi "Sugandh" perfume in Lucknow
Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav has launched a perfume with the Samajwadi Party's election symbol on it. Called "Samajwadi Sugandh" or "Attar", a Samajwadi legislator who also runs a perfume business crafted it in Kannauj district, known for its fragrance industry.
The move was seen as one of the soft outreaches by Mr Yadav's party ahead of the UP assembly election early next year, which is likely to be fought fiercely between the ruling BJP under Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and the Samajwadi Party. Mayawati's Bahujan Samaj Party is also prepping a strong campaign.
The colours on the perfume bottle resemble the Samajwadi Party flag - olive green and red. The legislator who got it manufactured said the fragrance has ingredients from "Kashmir to Kanyakumari" to represent the country's diversity.
He said Mr Yadav himself gave suggestions on how the perfume should be crafted.
Taking a swipe at the BJP in an Instagram post from the Samajwadi perfume launch, Mr Yadav said this fragrance belongs to everyone, but a flower that blossomed through lies will never give out fragrance, alluding to the BJP's election symbol, a lotus.
The Samajwadi Party launched a similar perfume ahead of the 2017 assembly elections. The party lost badly to the BJP.
"It took two scientists about four months to perfect this perfume. Our national president gave us directions about this. This perfume has ingredients from Kashmir to Kanyakumari and when you use it, you will be able to smell the fragrance of samajwad (socialism) and brotherhood," Samajwadi legislator Pushpraj Jain said.
Mr Yadav said, "This is a good perfume. Those who use it will remind others with the fragrance of the Samajwadi Party and its ideology."
Responding to Mr Yadav's swipe, UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh said the perfume launched by the Samajwadi party chief is going to "stink with the sins of Samajwadi Party."
"The toxic smell from their protection of the corrupt, appeasement, goonda raj and open loot of government money cannot be erased. Due to this, people ousted the Samajwadi Party from power. The people of the state will no longer give a chance to the poisonous cocktail of Samajwadi Party's goonda raj and corruption," Mr Singh said.