Srinagar: Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday stirred controversy with his comment that while soldiers from all states were being killed in Jammu and Kashmir there were no casualties from Gujarat, drawing sharp reaction from political parties.
The statement invited sharp reaction from the Bhartiya Janata Party (BJP) which claimed that the remarks stemmed from “frustration of defeat”.
“UP, Madhya Pradesh, Dakshin Bharat har jagah se shaheed huye hain, Gujarat ka koi jawan shaheed hua ho toh batao (Jawans from UP, Madhya Pradesh, South India and other parts of the country have sacrificed their lives but tell me whether anyone has been martyred from Gujarat),” he said.
Gujarat is the home state of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP President Amit Shah.
The former UP Chief Minister also raised questions over the central government’s response to the mutilation of the bodies of two soldiers on the Line of Control (LoC) by the Pakistan Army earlier this month.
“Media ko sawal karna chahiye ki jawano ke sar kate ja rahen hai aur jawano ke kya kya ang kate hain, woh aapko batana chahiye.
“The Pakistani soldiers beheaded Indian soldiers, they mutilated their bodies so badly. No one is debating or discussing that. You didn’t tell which body parts were mutilated, you are not debating on that,” he said.
Akhilesh accused Modi of doing politics over martyrs, Vande Mataram and nationalism.
Without naming BJP, he said, “They play politics in the name of martyrs, vande matram and nationalism. What is their definition (of nationalism)? They do not even consider us Hindus.”
Reacting sharply to Yadav’s statement, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said, “His talk and politics have been discarded by the people of the state. That is the reason why he is making such statements in frustration.”
Denouncing the comments of Yadav, a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, as “unwarranted”, Maurya said those laying down their lives for the country were Indians first.
Gujarat Chief Minister Vijay Rupani also denounced Akhilesh’s statement and said, “I think Akhilesh Ji’s statement is an effect of frustration after loss in UP polls, its a cheap political view.”In February, Akhilesh Yadav had stirred a controversy just before the Uttar Pradesh assembly polls, when he took a pot shot at Bollywood superstar Amitabh Bachchan and advised him to stop promoting the donkeys of Gujarat.
A terribly angry Twitterati was in no mood to forgive Akhilesh for his remark:
Dear Politicians,Indian Soldiers NEVER fight for any Religion, Caste or State We fight for TIRANGA#AkhileshInsultsMartyrs Shame !@adgpi https://t.co/6Pskj9Z0dD
Surendra Poonia (@MajorPoonia) May 10, 2017
Insensitive & arrogant netas who dont know how to respect a martyr. #Shame #AkhileshInsultsMartyrs https://t.co/K8v2ErBEVF
Ashoke Pandit (@ashokepandit) May 10, 2017
Anti-Modi politicians out on suicide mission!
Yesterday, it was @ArvindKejriwal #EVM circus and today it is @yadavakhilesh crap on martyrs!
Shaelesh (@Shaelesh) May 10, 2017
Any martyrs from Gujarat? asks @yadavakhilesh, once again proving that the most virulent hate comes from secular frauds
Minhaz Merchant (@MinhazMerchant) May 10, 2017
Remove security from these politician than they realised important of soilder @yadavakhilesh @republic
sujay gupta (@SujaySami) May 10, 2017
Follow this link to join our WhatsApp group: Join Now
Be Part of Quality Journalism |
Quality journalism takes a lot of time, money and hard work to produce and despite all the hardships we still do it. Our reporters and editors are working overtime in Kashmir and beyond to cover what you care about, break big stories, and expose injustices that can change lives. Today more people are reading Kashmir Observer than ever, but only a handful are paying while advertising revenues are falling fast. |
| ACT NOW |
| MONTHLY | Rs 100 |  |
| YEARLY | Rs 1000 | |
| LIFETIME | Rs 10000 | |
