Would have been good if PM Modi suggested any 'aasan' for unemployed youngsters: Akhilesh

Taking a jibe at Prime Minister Narendra Modi over his recent "surya namaskar" remarks, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday said it would be good for the unemployed youngsters of the country if the PM could suggest any "aasan" (yoga posture) to them.

Speaking to reporters in Barabanki on his way to Bahraich, Yadav said, "Prime Minister Narendra Modi spoke about increasing the number of 'surya namaskar' for strengthening his back. It would have been good if he could suggest a similar 'aasan' to unemployed youngsters. Unemployment is rising in the country. The prime minister does not have any time to think over it. At least he could suggest an 'aasan'."

On February 6, Modi took repeated digs at opposition leaders, including Rahul Gandhi of the Congress, whom he dubbed as a "tubelight", saying it took him 30-40 minutes to respond to his speech in the Lok Sabha. Without naming Gandhi, the prime minister, in his reply to the discussion on the presidential address, referred to the Congress leader's reported comments about "youngsters beating up Modi with sticks over the lack of jobs", and said he would increase the number of "surya namaskar" so that his back could bear the sticks.

READ: Exit Polls: Akhilesh Yadav 'hands Kejriwal A Bouquet',says 'BJP's Hate Rejected By Voters'

"In 70 years, no Congress leader has become self-sufficient. I heard one leader's manifesto yesterday. He said 'Modi will be beaten up with sticks in six months'. I can imagine that it is not an easy job, so six months will be needed for preparations. "In these six months, I will do more surya namaskar so that my back is ready for the beating.... I have been subjected to abuses in the last 20 years, I will make myself gaali-proof as also danda-proof," Modi had said.

Referring to the exit polls for the just-concluded Delhi Assembly election which have predicted a victory for the AAP, Yadav said, "The residents of Delhi have rejected the politics of the BJP, which is full of hatred. The BJP, which has suffered defeats in a number of states, will not be able to open its account in the Delhi Assembly election and the Aam Aadmi Party's (AAP) Arvind Kejriwal will once again become the chief minister."

On a proposal to rename Basti, a district in eastern Uttar Pradesh, he said, "This government is an expert only in changing names. The leaders and workers of the SP will inform people about the reality of the BJP." "The public wants good ambulances, better facilities, fair price to farmers for their produce, but the BJP government has completely failed on these counts," the SP chief added.

Speaking to reporters in Bahraich, Yadav said, "The exit polls for the Delhi Assembly election show that the public has rejected the BJP's politics of casteism, communalism and hatred. The voters of Delhi have given importance to the politics of development and voted for real issues, instead of terrorism and Pakistan. "I hope that in the coming days, wherever elections are held, people will vote on issues. The (Delhi) poll results on February 11 will see the BJP suffering a historic defeat."

The former Uttar Pradesh chief minister reiterated that the SP was completely against the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA), National Register of Citizens (NRC) and National Population Register (NPR). "The BJP is working with a sense of vengeance and harassing even those who are commenting on the social media. The SP is seeing this and such people are being identified. Once we form the government (in Uttar Pradesh), these people will be given a befitting reply, though we will not harass anyone." 

READ: 'Missing' Posters Of Akhilesh Yadav Surface In UP's Azamgarh