Hours after the Centre announced its decision to honour former deputy prime minister LK Advani with the Bharat Ratna, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday said it is being done to ensure that the BJP's votes do not get scattered.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi announced that LK Advani would be conferred with the Bharat Ratna and praised the contribution of the BJP's longest-serving president to public life.
Akhilesh Yadav was in Balrampur district to attend a programme to pay tributes to senior SP leader and MLA Shiv Pratap Yadav, who died on January 26.
"The BJP has given the honour before its tenure (at the Centre) comes to an end so that its votes do not get scattered," Akhilesh Yadav told reporters in an apparent reference to LK Advani being conferred with the Bharat Ratna.
"This Bharat Ratna is being given to consolidate votes, it is not being given out of respect," he said.
On seat-sharing in the opposition INDIA bloc, Akhilesh Yadav said there is almost a consensus on it.
"The basis for distribution of seats is 'jeet' (victory) and seat," he said, adding that he has already talked to the Congress leadership and there is no dilemma regarding the distribution of seats.
Asked if he would join Congress leader Rahul Gandhi's Bharat Jodo Nyay Yatra, the SP chief said he has not received any invitation so far.
On Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar joining the NDA, Akhilesh Yadav asked "which magic of the BJP" encouraged him to do so.
He said the issue of caste census will not be sidelined and the SP will take it forward.
According to a statement issued by the SP in Lucknow, Akhilesh Yadav participated in several programmes in Balrampur, Gonda and Barabanki on Saturday.
Speaking to reporters in Gonda, Akhilesh Yadav said, "The BJP has become the biggest land mafia party. There is no district left where land mafias are not operating." The chief minister himself has admitted that many land mafias have come to Gorakhpur, the SP leader said.
"It seems that law and order has become zero under the BJP government," he said.
(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)
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