Will wash UP CM house with Gangajal when I return to power in 2022: Akhilesh Yadav

Lucknow: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday took a jibe at the new administration led by Yogi Adityanath and said his party will sprinkle gangajal at the UP CM's office in 2002.

"When we will form the government again in 2022, we will sprinkle Gangajal with the help of fire brigade not only on 5-Kalidas Marg but also in all the government offices (to purify them)," Akhilesh Yadav said while addressing a press conference at the Samajwadi Party office in Lucknow even as his party held a national executive meet today.

The former UP CM also stated that his Samajwadi Party will choose its next national president before September 30, triggering speculations of his stepping down from the post.

Akhilesh’s party, which fought the recently held assembly elections in alliance with the Congress, suffered a defeat at the hands of the Bharatiya Janata Party, which came to power in the politically crucial state with a brute majority.

The run-up to the elections saw a fierce infighting in Akhilesh’s family, with the then chief minister snatching the post of national president from his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav. The Akhilesh faction stripped Mulayam’s brother, Shivpal, of his state presidentship.

In an apparent reference to Adityanath’s last speech in Lok Sabha where he called him a year older to Akhilesh, the Samajwadi Party president said, "Of course, he is an year older to me, but so far the work is concerned, he is far too small than me..."

On law and order, Akhilesh said, "Incidents are happening all over the state now, but they are not being highlighted with Yogi's picture, the way media used my picture while reporting such incidents earlier."

Taking a dig at the functioning of Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, Akhilesh said, "For now, we can only see brooms being used across the state. I never knew that our officials used brooms so well. Had I knew, I would have made them use brooms very well."

On the Yogi government's campaign to stop slaughterhouses in the state, Akhilesh said, "Our lions are very hungry, do not go near them."