PM narendra Modi and Akhilesh Yadav have exchanged bitter comments during UP election campaign.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav's 'donkey' remark targeting Prime Minister Narendra Modi triggered a sharp reaction from the Gujarat BJP. The BJP leaders in the home state of PM Modi also took a swipe at Mr Yadav over his tussle for power with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying that unlike him, donkeys are "loyal" and he should "learn" from the animal.
"Donkeys are loyal to their owners. Akhilesh should learn from donkeys to stay loyal to his father. He has nothing to say about development work done by his government so he is trying to rake up non-existent issues," said BJP spokesperson Harshad Patel.
The party also accused Mr Yadav of "insulting" the people of the western state.
"Akhilesh Yadav, by appealing to Amitabh Bachchan that he should not 'campaign for the donkeys' of the state, has insulted Gujarat," state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani said.
Mr Yadav yesterday targeted PM Modi and BJP president Amit Shah as he "appealed" to Mr Bachchan not to "campaign for the donkeys of Gujarat". Mr Bachchan is the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism.
"The UP Chief Minister is facing defeat in his state but that does not give him a licence to insult people of Gujarat," Mr Vaghani said.
"Mr Bachchan (who belongs to Uttar Pradesh and whose wife is a Samajwadi Party MP) is a superstar and is well-known all over the world. By becoming brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism, he has helped in growth of tourism. This only shows Akhilesh's jealousy on the progress Gujarat has made," he added.
Mr Vaghani also asked the Congress, which has tied up with the Samajwadi Party in UP, if that party endorses Akhilesh Yadav's remark.
BJP youth leader Amit Thakkar, also director of Gujarat Tourism Corporation, said that Mr Yadav does not know the difference between donkeys and wild asses.
"Wild asses, called 'Ghudkhar' in local parlance, are a different species from donkeys, and are uniquely found in Gujarat only. Gujarat has a dedicated sanctuary for them. However, I don't expect a UP leader to understand the difference," Mr Thakkar said.
The Congress, meanwhile, took a dig at the state government, saying the BJP has given a chance to those outside to make fun of Gujarat by promoting wild-asses, instead of focusing on the state's heritage and rare animal species.
"The BJP has given a chance to those outside the state to criticise Gujarat by advertising about wild-asses. They should have advertised about other rare species of animals and birds found in the state and our cultural heritage," Congress leader and party's national spokesperson Shaktisinh Gohil.