SP SEEKS YOGI APOLOGY OVER GRAFT REMARK

The Samajwadi Party on Monday stalled both the Houses of the state legislature over a reported statement of chief minister Yogi Adityanath in which he had called the SP a promoter of terrorism, corruption and nepotism. Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Chaudhary objected to the chief minister’s statement and demanded an apology. Mr Adityanath was not present in the House on Monday since he was campaigning in Tripura. He said that the chief minister had accused the SP of practicing nepotism though he himself was following in the footsteps of his gurus Mahant Avaidyanath and Mahant Digvijaynath, both of whom were in politics. “The BJP talks of terrorism. If we are terrorists, then what about Sadhvi Pragya Thakur?” he asked. Replying to the charges, parliamentary affairs minister Suresh Kumar Khanna said the SP members have wrong information as the CM had not made any such statement. “The House does not take cognisance of any media report, then how come the opposition is raising the issue, based on the media reports,” Mr Khanna said.