UP minister's derogatory remarks against Akhilesh Yadav, Rahul Gandhi spark row

Nand Gopal Nandi, a cabinet minister of Yogi Adityanath government, courted controversy on Monday by making derogatory remarks against former UP chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as well as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

Kanpur (Uttar Pradesh): Nand Gopal Nandi, a cabinet minister of Yogi Adityanath government, courted controversy on Monday by making 'disparaging remarks' against former chief minister Akhilesh Yadav as well as Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.

He was addressing a public meeting attended by traders of Akbarpur Kasba. On Akhilesh Yadav, the UP minister, said, no one can rely on Akhilesh Yadav's 'words', adding that, "A dog's kick and the statement of Akhilesh Yadav cannot be relied upon". The minister attacked Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, and called him 'Pappu'.

Referring to Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) supremo Mayawati, he said, "Neither Bua and Babua government nor Tipu Sultan will be able to come to power in UP in 2022." He added that BJP will come to power again.

Speaking further about Akhilesh Yadav, the minister, said, "The ideals of Akhilesh Yadav are Jinnah and Tipu Sultan. Akhilesh embraced political career on his own, he got political legacy free of cost without making any effort. Akhilesh also spends lot of time on social media like Facebook and Twitter."

The UP minister also outlined the achievement of Yogi Adityanath government in his speech. He said that traders now in Uttar Pradesh can carry out their business activities without 'fear' or 'coercion'.