Published 10:17 IST, February 27th 2021
'Red is the colour of emotions': Akhilesh Yadav hits back at CM Yogi over his cap jibe
Akhilesh Yadav on Friday has hit back at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after the latter took a dig at opposition parties over the colourful caps
Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav on Friday hit back at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath after the latter took a dig at opposition parties over the colourful caps their MLAs were seen wearing in the Assembly.
Akhilesh said, "It seems the CM had eaten some red chilies in his childhood, that's why he is scared of the Samajwadi red cap. Red is the colour of emotions. Our grief and happiness are reflected on our faces by this colour. It shows our blood."
The former UP chief minister also mocked the RSS for the black caps worn by its volunteers. "We can also say that those who have black hearts wear black caps," he said.
Earlier, CM Yogi had said the House should not be taken lightly as a "drama company" with some members sporting caps in red, some blue, some yellow, or even green. "It would have looked nice if you had used a turban or a 'safa'," he said smilingly, reaching out to Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary sitting on the opposite side with his Samajwadi Party's bright red cap on in the state Assembly. In an obvious reference to the SP members who wear red caps, CM Yogi recalled that he had once been to a village school when a child called a politician sporting a cap as "goonda" (hooligan).
UP poll campaign 2022
The state's next elections will be held in the month of February-March 2022. As of date, several fronts have cropped up to challenge the ruling BJP. While Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj is eyeing an alliance with AIMIM, Azad Samaj Party, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party, AAP, Shiv Sena, and JDU have announced that they will be contesting for the UP polls. Samajwadi Party and BSP have decided to not ally and shut their doors to Congres, opting to ally with smaller parties if needed or go solo. Since then, Congress has aggressively campaigned under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi in the state, eyeing its solo return. In 2017, amid tumultuous family fights in the Yadav family - with Akhilesh throwing out uncle Shivpal and replacing Mulayam Singh Yadav as the party chief, the then-UP CM stitched an alliance with Congress - with Akhilesh and Rahul Gandhi holding joint rallies. This poll-alliance failed miserably, winning only 55 seats, while the BJP won 312 seats - ushering in Yogi Adityanath's maiden term.
Updated 10:17 IST, February 27th 2021