Yogi Adityanath Takes Dig At Akhilesh Yadav's Uncle, Gets A "Deputy" Reply

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's swipe at Samajwadi Party leader and Akhilesh Yadav's uncle Shivpal Yadav drew a sharp counter in the Assembly this morning. At the beginning of his address in the House, Mr Adityanath congratulated Samajwadi Party veteran Mata Prasad Pandey, who has replaced Akhilesh Yadav as the Leader of the Opposition after the party chief was elected to Lok Sabha from Kannauj in this general election.

Addressing Mr Pandey, the Chief Minister said, "You have served twice as the Speaker of this House. I congratulate you on your selection. It's a different matter that you tricked chacha (uncle)." Mr Adityanath was referring to Shivpal Singh Yadav, Akhilesh Yadav's uncle, who was seated next to Mr Pandey. "Chacha always gets tricked like this. This is his destiny because the nephew is always scared," he said. Shivpal Yadav was seen smiling.

The veteran leader waited for his turn. When he rose to speak, he said, "I was not tricked, Pandey ji is very senior." Addressing the treasury benches, he said, "I was in touch with you for three years. You tricked me too," he said, as MLAs cutting across party lines, including the Chief Minister, burst into laughter.

Shivpal Yadav then took a dig at the BJP's lack-lustre show in Uttar Pradesh in this election. "You tricked me, you lagged behind in this election and Samajwadi Party stormed ahead. Mark my words, Samajwadi Party will come to power in the 2027 (state polls) and your Deputy Chief Minister will trick you," he said.

The seasoned leader's remarks came amid friction within the state BJP. In a show of united front, the Chief Minister was flanked by Deputy Chief Ministers Maurya and Brajesh Pathak when he addressed the media before the Assembly session began yesterday.

The youngest brother of former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party founder, the late Mulayam Singh Yadav, Shivpal Yadav has served as an MLA for nearly three decades now. He has also been a state minister and the Leader of the Opposition. He is now the National General Secretary of the Samajwadi Party.

Around 2017, when Akhilesh Yadav was coming of age politically and taking charge of Samajwadi Party, Shivpal Yadav quit the party and founded the Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party. In 2022, Shivpal Yadav cleared his differences with nephew Akhilesh, rejoined Samajwadi Party and merged his party with it.