UP Election: Jayant Chaudhary has ruled out any alliance with the BJP, saying he is not a "chavvani".
Uttar Pradesh politician Jayant Chaudhary, the chief of the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD), has controversially claimed that his party leader was told by senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, "I will make you Hema Malini if you join".
Jayant Chaudhary, who has snubbed overtures made by the BJP more than once, made the comments while campaigning on Tuesday for the Uttar Pradesh election starting February 10.
Referring to his party leader on stage with him, Mr Chaudhary said: "Yogesh (Nauhwar) was saying he was told by Amit Shah -- Yogesh, join us. I will make you Hema Malini." His audience laughed and clapped at his reference to the actor-politician, who is a BJP MP from Mathura.
"I don't know what all they keep saying about me...Not that they have any love or feeling for me. I tell them -- 'What will you get by appeasing me? I don't want to be Hema Malini? What will you do for the people? What have you done for the families of the seven farmers? Why is Ajay Mishra Teni still a minister?" the RLD leader said.
Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish Mishra is in jail over allegations that he ran over farmers during a protest at Lakhimpur Kheri in October. Despite opposition demands for his sacking, Mr Mishra has held on to his position in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.
Jayant Chaudhary's RLD is partnering Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party in the UP election. The Jat leader has a significant hold over western UP, especially because he has been championing the cause of farmers, an important voting bloc in the region.
Amit Shah, at an election meeting on January 26 in Delhi where he met with Jat community leaders, had said that the BJP's doors would always be open for the RLD. Later, at a public meeting, the Home Minister also said that Akhilesh Yadav would dump Mr Chaudhary as soon as the elections were over.
"Akhilesh Yadav and Jayant Chaudhary are together only till counting. If their (Samajwadi) government is formed, then Azam Khan will sit (in their government) and Jayant Bhai will be out," Mr Shah said.
Jayant Chaudhary has ruled out any alliance with the BJP, commenting sharply that he is not a "chavvani" (25 p coin) that he will flip so easily.