Thoughts, not clothes, make one a yogi: Akhilesh in veiled dig at UP CM

Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday directed a veiled jibe at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, saying without taking any names that one becomes a yogi by one's thoughts and words, and not clothes.

Yadav, who was addressing an election rally in Phulpur where the Samajwadi Party is backing the candidate Mustafa Siddiqui, also claimed that the chief minister was on his way out.

"People know this government is on its way out," he said and added that Adityanath's chair would not be spared regardless of the outcome of the Maharashtra assembly elections.

Yadav had earlier hinted at tensions between Adityanath and the BJP's central leadership. He had also claimed during the Lok Sabha election campaign earlier this year that Adityanath would be removed if the BJP was re-elected to power.

Commenting on Adityanath's rhetoric, Yadav said, "Our chief minister is very knowledgeable but he says too much where less is needed. That's why we have the tradition of 'mauni baba (silent monk)' — to speak less. Whenever he speaks, it's bitter. His negative mindset is reflected in his negative language."

Without naming Adityanath, the Kannauj MP said, "No one becomes a 'yogi' by their clothes. One becomes a 'yogi' by thoughts and words."

Yadav also attacked the ruling BJP in Uttar Pradesh for getting the by-polls for nine assembly seats in the state, originally scheduled for 13 November, postponed to 20 November. "The BJP will face defeat in these by-polls," he asserted.

Taking a jibe at BJP leaders, the Samajwadi Party supremo called them "negative people" and mockingly claimed, "Even NDA (National Democratic Alliance) starts with an 'N' for 'negative'."

He also defended the Samajwadi Party's stance, saying 'PDA' — an acronym he coined to denote picchde (backwards), Dalits and alpsankhyak (minorities) — stood for "positive and progressive" in contrast to the BJP's negativity.

Reiterating his concern for the state of democracy and the Constitution, Yadav said, "Both are in danger. The only way to save them is by removing the BJP government from Lucknow and Delhi."

The by-poll in Phulpur was necessitated after the incumbent MLA was elected to the Lok Sabha. The BJP has fielded former MLA Deepak Patel for the bypoll while the Bahujan Samaj Party has nominated Jitendra Kumar Singh.