Muzaffarnagar (UP), Apr 3 (PTI) RLD chief Jayant Singh on Wednesday hit back at SP president Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘chavanni’ statement and said he has not turned back but has given a defeat (to the opponents).
In the joint election rally of the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) and the Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) held here on Wednesday, Jayant Singh, without naming former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav, said, “I have heard a statement of a former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh. Until now I have not said anything to him. He may want to abuse.
“I don’t care but I want to tell you one thing. I have a special appeal to the people of Muzaffarnagar,” he said.
The reputation of the people is at stake in the village, he said and, without naming Akhilesh, asked them to convey a message to him.
“Vote in such a way that they know that I have not turned back. This is not called turning back (palatna), but it is called giving a defeat (patkhani dena)… He (Akhilesh) knows a little bit about wrestling. I also know a little bit,” he said.
Akhilesh Yadav, while talking to journalists during the opposition Indian National Development Inclusive Alliance (INDIA) bloc’s rally on Sunday, was asked a question related to Jayant sharing the stage with Prime Minister Narendra Modi in Meerut.
Akhilesh Yadav replied, “It is possible that the prime minister may ask who this chavanni (penny) is.” It is believed that Akhilesh had made this comment regarding an old statement of Jayant. Before becoming a part of the BJP-led National Democratic Alliance (NDA), when the RLD was an alliance partner of the SP, Jayant rejected any speculation of joining the BJP and said, “Am I a chavanni (penny) that I will turn like this?” This video of Jayant’s statement also went viral after he joined the BJP-led alliance.
Jayant, who is also an SP Rajya Sabha member, alleged that the award of ‘Bharat Ratna’ to his grandfather and former prime minister Chaudhary Charan Singh is being internally opposed by those parties who were earlier politically associated with the RLD.
Jayant called upon the RLD workers to show a “big heart” in the Lok Sabha elections and appealed to make BJP candidate Sanjeev Baliyan victorious from Muzaffarnagar.
While reading lines from a poem by poet Dushyant Kumar, he said, “The Lok Dal workers will have to show a big heart. If you want to strengthen me, if you want to take forward the ideas of Chaudhary Charan Singh and if you want to complete the works of Chaudhary Ajit Singh, then make Sanjeev Baliyan win the election with a huge margin,” PTI CDN CDN KSS KSS
