Sambhal (UP), May 5 (PTI) Samajwadi Party MP Zia ur Rahman Barq on Tuesday hit back at BJP leader Suvendu Adhikari over his “Akhilesh is next” remarks, asking the West Bengal leader to “focus on his own political future before commenting on others”.
Barq’s statement came a day after Adhikari said that the BJP’s next aim would be to sweep the UP assembly polls, scheduled next year.
“Mamata (Banerjee), Tejashwi (Yadav), Rahul (Gandhi) are finished. Akhilesh (Yadav) is next,” Adhikari said on May 4, after the BJP defeated the Mamata Banerjee-led TMC and comfortably crossed the majority mark with 206 seats.
Responding to Adhikari’s remarks, Barq said, “If merely saying something could make it happen, then there would be no need for elections. There is a big difference between words and reality.” “He should first focus on his own struggle to become chief minister and secure his own position. Only then should he point fingers at others,” the SP leader told reporters at his residence here.
Alleging irregularities in the West Bengal elections, Barq said such developments would not be possible in Uttar Pradesh.
“The kind of excesses that happened in West Bengal cannot take place in UP. The people here are aware,” he said.
On being asked about the impact of recent election results on the upcoming Uttar Pradesh polls, Barq said each state has different issues and political dynamics. “There will be no difficulty. Elections keep happening and results in one state do not necessarily affect another,” he said.
Claiming that there is a “wave of change” in Uttar Pradesh, Barq said SP workers and sections of society under the “PDA (Pichda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak) plank” would work together to bring about change and form a Samajwadi Party government in the state.
Barq was referring to the political strategy of Akhilesh Yadav, aiming to unite Backwards Classes, Dalits, and Minorities (primarily Muslims) in Uttar Pradesh. PTI COR KIS KSI KSI
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.