The Indian Express (Delhi Edition)
Akhilesh to Modi: Let us debate on our work at ‘Khajanchi’ house
UTTAR PRADESH Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Friday offered Prime Minister Narendra Modi various venues, including the house of Dalit infant ‘Khajanchi’, who was born in a bank queue in the aftermath of demonetisation, to hold a debate on work done by the state government and the Centre.
Addressing a public meeting in Ayodhya in support of his Cabinet colleague and SP candidate Pawan Pandey, Akhilesh said he wants the PM to ask him (Akhilesh) about his works, but at the same time Modi should also tell people of UP about work the Central government has accomplished so far.
Akhilesh’s counter comes a day after Modi said in Bahraich that the UP chief minister and his ministers are not giving details of their work in public.
Akhileshsaidmodicanchooseanyplacefor adebate—eitherthebanksoftheganga,which the Prime Minister had promised to have cleaned,ortheareathespgovernmenthasdeveloped along the Gomti in Lucknow. Akhilesh saidheisreadyforadebateinanylohiavillage — or any place developed by the Centre.
“Agar aur kahin bahas nahin karna chahte to jo hamara Khajanchi jahan rehta hai...kam se kam usi ke gaon mein chal kar bahas kar lein. Is liye Ramvati (mother of Khajanchi) chahe to humse poochhe ki humne kya kaam kiya hai aur chahe to wo bata dein ki unhone kya kaam kiya (If he does not want to debate anywhere else, at least we can do that in Khajanchi’s village. Ramvati can ask me what the UP government has done, and can tell the PM what the Centre has done),” Akhilesh said.
Days after Modi had announced the demonetisation decision, Ramvati was waiting in a bank queue in Kanpur Dehat district when she underwent labour pain and delivered — locals named the infant Khajanchi (treasurer). Akhilesh Yadav had given the family Rs 2 lakh in aid on behalf of the state government.
On the recent exchange of comments of donkeys of Gujarat, the CM said that he had remarked only about an advertisement but did not expect the PM to become emotional on that. Akhilesh said he did not mind when Modi had mocked the Lucknow-agra expressway and Lucknow Metro, inaugurated recently. He said Modi did not initiate a Metro Rail project in any part of Gujarat in his multiple terms as the chief minister.
About Modi’s comparison of power distribution, Akhilesh said, “The BJP should tell how discrimination can be done between Diwali and Ramzan.” He said his government gave electricity equally to people on Diwali, Ramzan, Christmas and other festivals. “Samajwadi Party does not speak about kabristan and shamshaan. We talk about laptops and smartphones,” he added.