Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav poked fun at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in Uttar Pradesh by saying he has heard that Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya is a ‘pawn’ and ‘password of Delhi’s WiFi.' Yadav's jab comes amid the speculated rift in the BJP's state unit after its dismal performance in the Lok Sabha Elections 2024.
Yadav, the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, spoke to reporters after unveiling a 'Samvidhan-Manstambh' at the party headquarters in Lucknow on July 26. He also targeted Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath-led state government over corruption.
"The government used to claim that there is a zero tolerance policy especially on corruption and law and order. But now their leaders themselves are saying we have not seen such corruption in our political life," Yadav is heard as saying in the video shared by Samajwadi Party on social media.
"Corruption is being exposed because some people have become pawns," Yadav said, hinting at the speculated rift within the BJP, even though he did not take any name. "I heard that 'Maurya ji mohre hain' (Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya is a pawn), a password to Delhi's Wi-Fi," he added, hinting at Maurya's closeness with the central BJP leadership.
Maurya, is said to have expressed differences with Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. He attacked the chief minister during a meeting earlier this month and said that the organisation was bigger than the government. The deputy chief minister has been reportedly insisting that the government and all ministers, MLAs, and public representatives should respect party workers, according to reports.
Yogi Adityanath met BJP National General Secretary BL Santosh in New Delhi in on July 26. Issues involving the organisation and the UP government were discussed, along with the upcoming ten assembly by-elections, sources said.
Some reports suggested that the BJP's central leadership was planning to undertake some changes in the party's structure in UP owing to the reported crisis. Maurya, who is an OBC face of the party with the backing of the RSS, might be given an important organisational position in the party to resolve the crisis
Maurya, however, hit back at Yadav for his comments. He said BJP will win 2027 Lok Sabha polls in the state.
"Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav ji, who has become a pawn of the Congress, should focus on saving the SP from extinction rather than harbouring misconceptions about the BJP, targeting the backward sections and insulting them. The BJP will repeat the 2017 (state assembly poll performance) in 2027. The lotus (the BJP's poll symbol) has bloomed and will continue to bloom," he posted on X.
The BJP won 33 seats in theLok Sabha polls 2024, down from 62 it had won from the 80 UP seats in 2019 general elections. Overall, the saffron party's seats came down from 303 in 2019 to 240 across the state in the general elections. The development comes days afterUttar Pradesh BJPExecutive Committee meeting was held in the state capital Lucknow.
(With PTI inputs)
