india

Updated: May 12, 2019 01:06 IST

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday likened Samajwadi Party (SP) president Akhilesh Yadav to Mughal emperor Aurangzeb, who had imprisoned his father Shah Jahan.

He also tore into the SP-Bahujan Samaj Party-Rashtriya Lok Dal alliance, saying the “mahamilawatis” were behaving like snakes, frogs and scorpions who came together during floods.

“The one who dethroned his father, like Aurangzeb, joined hands with the sworn enemy. After May 23, they will again abuse each other. These ‘mahamilavati’ people are behaving like scorpions, frogs and snakes which come together during floods,” he tweeted.

This is the first time Adityanath has drawn the Aurangzeb parallel to take a swipe at Akhilesh. The parallel was first drawn during the Yadav family feud between Akhilesh and his uncle, Shivpal Yadav, over control of the Party in August 2016.

Both Adityanath and Akhilesh were in Gorakhpur on Saturday, campaigning for their party candidates. At a rally in Pipraich, Akhilesh urged the people to vote for the SP-BSP-RLD alliance. “Those who have launched the Swachhta Abhiyan will be swept out of Uttar Pradesh,” he said.

Referring to a Time magazine cover story on Prime Minister Narendra Modi, he said, “One of the world’s credible news magazines has said that the BJP is a threat to democracy... The alliance has decided to shake BJP’s foundation, which is based on hate and lies.”

Reacting to Adityanath’s tweet, SP spokesperson Abdul Hafiz Gandhi said: “Mahagathbandhan is there to oust people like you who are enemies of peace and tranquillity... You are there to decimate the idea of India.”