Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday mounted a blistering attack on Samajwadi Party national president Akhilesh Yadav for his comments on Pakistan. Adityanath in a hard-hitting tweet said that while the BJP is the follower of Sardar Patel's principles, the SP leader is the worshiper of Pakistan’s founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah.
"They (SP) are worshipers of Jinnah, we are worshipers of Sardar Patel. Pakistan is dear to them, we sacrifice our lives on Maa Bharati," the firebrand BJP leader tweeted in Hindi.
Akhilesh Yadav is facing a barrage of criticism from the BJP leaders for his comments that Pakistan is a "political enemy" which is targeted by the BJP for "vote politics".
Earlier on Wednesday, senior BJP leader and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh said that issues of sugarcane farmers should be raised and not Jinnah.
"I do not know why Pakistan’s founder Jinnah’s name is often invoked during elections. Those who want to politicise this… in UP’s politics, Jinnah’s name should not be invoked. Instead, we should talk of farmers," he said in Modinagar (Ghaziabad) during the party's door-to-door campaign.
Polls in Uttar Pradesh will be held in seven phases beginning February 10. Counting is slated for March 10.
READ MORE: 'Jinnah se jo kare pyaar...': BJP blasts Akhilesh over 'Pakistan political enemy' remark
