Samajwadi Party's 'Kaam Bolta Hai' Slogan a Publicity Gimmick: Yogi Adityanath

Lakhimpur Kheri: BJP firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath on Thursday dubbed Samajwadi Party's "Kaam Bolta Hai" slogan as a "publicity gimmick", even as he questioned the ruling party's decision to contest the upcoming state polls in partnership with Congress.

"Their (Samajwadi Party) 'kaam bolta hai' (work speaks) slogan is a publicity gimmick. If its work was enough, why is it contesting on less than 300 seats? Moreover, why did SP wrap a dead snake like Congress around its neck?" he said at an election rally here.

After days of frantic negotiations, Congress and Samajwadi Party had forged a pre-poll alliance to contest the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls. While the SP decided to contest 298 seats out of the total 403 seats, Congress agreed upon 105 seats.

Accusing both SP and BSP for having pushed the state to lawlessness, anarchy and corruption, Adityanath said, "UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav says his 'kaam bolta hai', but I want to know which work. You claim construction of roads in villages but it was funded by BJP-led NDA at the Centre."

"You (Akhilesh) claim of revamping rural power supply, but this too was funded by the Centre under Deendayal power scheme," he said.

The BJP MP from Gorakhpur also accused the ruling party of withdrawing cases against those who indulged in terrorist activities.

Accusing SP and BSP of practising minority appeasement, he said, "Today there is a race between these two parties as to who can give more tickets to Muslims."

Adityanath lauded the BJP regime at the Centre for sanctioning the PoK surgical strikes.

"BJP had promised that once it was in power, it would never allow Pakistan to cast an eye of malice on India. The surgical strikes by the Army proved it.

"Although terrorism should not be associated with any community or caste, but if such activities are carried out in the Indian borders, it would be dealt with strictly and witness the same fate as of Osama Bin Laden," he said.

The controversial BJP leader also compared the state with the mythological character of 'Draupadi', asking the people "not to sit silent in a democracy when Uttar Pradesh was getting stripped off development and works were being halted."