UP Elections 2017: The Rally At Which Akhilesh Yadav Debuted 'Donkeys Of Gujarat' Jibe

Milkipur, Uttar Pradesh: Before Akhilesh Yadav's helicopter landed in a clearing in Milkipur, the warm-up acts on stage broke into song. Then, as news arrived that he was about 10 minutes from landing, the big upping began in rhyme. "Mr Laptop, amar raho" - a citation of the Chief Minister's scheme of free computers for students. But the one that really caught on with the crowd: "No confusion, no mistake, jai Akhilesh, jai Akhilesh."

Mr Yadav, 43, subjected to a verbal blowout from Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday, offered the same response at this rally, his last for the day, as he did in Amethi on Monday morning. "Let the PM swear by the Ganga, which we all consider holy, that I have not delivered uninterrupted electricity to Varanasi." It is the PM's constituency, his challenger in the state said, "so perhaps he should visit here more to familiarise himself with the facts." And then, dismissing the allegation that he has favoured Muslims, "there is power on Ramzan and on Diwali. And we are organising it for Christmas too".
 Behind his stage, his helicopter was backlit by the setting sun. The Chief Minister then pulled out a phone from his pocket and looked discreetly at it, scrolling for notes on his next point of attack. He introduced for the audience a tourism ad for the PM's home state of Gujarat that promotes its wild ass. The state, he said, "is gifted at presenting this donkey as exceptional. It doesn't bathe for a week but looks neat and clean." The anecdote was long. The point was: be wary of this creature.

Story told, he slid his phone back into his kurta. The crowd, most wearing the red Samajwadi topi, almost entirely male, clapped a solid round.

Mr Modi however remained a presence for a considerable part of the speech. "He keeps offering his Mann Ki Baat," the Chief Minister said of the PM's regular radio speeches, daring him to expand less on his intent and more on his deliverables. "Mann Ki Baat this, Mann Ki Baat that. When will he get to kaam ki baat?"
 The Chief Minister seemed collected, his tone even. "Will you stay here for a while?" he asked the crowd. "I have to do an interview. If you leave, these media people will say there were no crowds at my meeting."
 Adjusting his topi for camera, he began his interview with NDTV's Prannoy Roy - watch it on Battleground at 9:30 pm on Thursday. "I am ready for a debate (vaad-vivaad) with the PM," he told Dr Roy. "I can swear by the Ganga that I have provided electricity to religious places in towns like Mathura, Kashi. Now let the PM swear by the Ganga that that is not the case."

After the interview, he thanked his audience for its patience. As he departed, a new riff was debuted, perhaps inspired by his reference to swearing by the Ganga. "Seedhe sachey hain Akhilesh, jai Akhilesh, jai Akhilesh."