‘Look at our photos, decide’: Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘mafia’ swipe at Yogi Adityanath

Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday took a swipe at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adithyanath, doubling down on his recent remark that there is not much difference between a mathadheesh (head of a mutt) and a mafia.
When asked about his comment, Akhilesh Yadav said, “Meri bhi tasveer dekhlo aap aur unki bhi dekhlo, mafia kon lagega yeh bata do (You can look at my photograph and his too, tell me who would be considered a mafia),” drawing laughter from other SP leaders present at the press conference.
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The comment came a day after Uttar Pradesh minister Sanjay Gangwar accused Akhilesh Yadav of being a leader of mafia and criminals. Gangwar claimed that Yadav has lost his mental equilibrium following the recent Lok Sabha elections, resulting in erratic statements.
“People have seen his relationship with the likes of Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari,” he said, adding, “a donkey will see others as donkeys.” He suggested that Yadav’s perceptions are influenced by his own experiences during his time in office. “He himself is a leader of mafias and criminals,” the minister asserted.
On Wednesday, Adityanath also accused the SP of cowing down to criminals and denigrating religious leaders.
“Samajwadi Party members used to rub their noses in front of notorious mafias and criminals. As per their culture, they call religious leaders mafias,” Adityanath said at an event, referring to Yadav’s controversial statement.
“They exploited the youth, forced farmers to commit suicide and traders were forced to migrate and incidents like the Kairana (exodus) happened because of them. Hindu traders had to move out of Kairana because of them,” he added.
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Without naming Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi, Yogi Adityanath criticised Congress and Samajwadi Party, saying “Do ladkon ki jodi” (two boys) is talking about development in Uttar Pradesh and they have forgotten the history of the last 10 years when ‘gunda’ and ‘mafia raj’ were prevailing in the state.
Yadav’s comments equating mathadheesh with mafias have also drawn the ire of Hindu outfits. The Vishva Hindu Parishad (VHP) strongly condemned his remark and demanded an apology from the SP chief, calling his statement “highly condemnable and objectionable.”
“This is not the first time Akhilesh Yadav has insulted Hindu beliefs and saints to please his vote bank. He should apologize to the entire Hindu society, including the revered saints,” VHP joint general secretary Surendra Jain said.
He also accused the INDIA alliance, of which SP is a part, of remaining silent on the issue.
“It seems the Sanatan Hindu society is being insulted under a well-thought out conspiracy”, he said.
“Akhilesh Yadav and the leaders of his alliance should apologise to the entire Hindu society, including the revered saints, for his anti-Hindu statement, else the Hindu society will not tolerate this insult and will give a befitting reply through every democratic means,” the VHP functionary added.