Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday called Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath an “infiltrator,” saying that since he hails from Uttarakhand, he should be sent back there. Yadav made the remarks while speaking to reporters at Lohia Park in Lucknow on the death anniversary of socialist leader Ram Manohar Lohia.
“People who are giving the statistics of exodus… we also have infiltrators in Uttar Pradesh,” Yadav said. “The Chief Minister is from Uttarakhand. We want him to be sent to Uttarakhand. He is not only an infiltrator by origin but also ideologically,” he added.
Taking a dig at the BJP, Yadav said the party’s figures could not be trusted. “If one is to believe their statistics, they would be lost,” he remarked. He also questioned Adityanath’s political background, saying, “He was not a member of the BJP; he belonged to another party. So, when will these infiltrators be removed?”
Yadav’s comments came shortly after Union Home Minister Amit Shah accused some political parties of treating “infiltrators” as a vote bank and questioned why infiltration does not occur along the Gujarat and Rajasthan borders.
Responding to Yadav’s statement, Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak told PTI that he would respond soon.
At the same event, Yadav paid tribute to Dr. Lohia, saying, “Today, we take a pledge to reach out to the people on the issues he raised, to make them aware, and to ensure economic and social dignity for everyone by walking on the path he showed. Dr. Lohia had called for the caste system to be abolished.”
Speaking on the alleged gang-rape of a student in Lucknow, Yadav accused the BJP government of failing to protect women. “This isn’t the first case under this government. Rape cases and atrocities against women are on the rise because the police are being used for political purposes. The BJP is not allowing the police to do their jobs. An encounter cannot be the solution,” he said.
