Lucknow, Nov 4 — Amid reports suggesting that Samajwadi Party (SP) chief, Akhilesh Yadav, may not contest the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections, state Minister O.P. Rajbhar on Wednesday launched a sharp attack on the Kannauj MP, accusing him of running away from the electoral battlefield.
Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP) chief Rajbhar questioned the speculation surrounding Akhilesh Yadav's possible decision to stay away from the electoral contest and challenged him to directly enter the fray in the upcoming Assembly elections.
Taking a swipe at the SP chief, Rajbhar said that a genuine political leader should have the courage to contest elections rather than avoid the electoral battle.
He also raised questions about Akhilesh Yadav's political record, his five-year tenure as Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and his reported reluctance to contest the next Assembly polls.
Speaking to reporters, Rajbhar said, "He will neither contest the elections nor go among the people. He is neither prepared to enter the electoral battlefield nor willing to face the public. The people have already rejected Akhilesh Yadav. Following his five-year tenure as Chief Minister, the public has lost its faith in the Samajwadi Party."
Rajbhar also took his criticism to social media, where he shared a lengthy post on X, directly challenging the SP chief to contest the upcoming elections and said, "I hear that you will not be contesting from any seat in next year's Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. My dear friend, what kind of a leader runs away from an election? Come, let us face each other on the battlefield!"
"I never imagined that you were such a strong believer in superstitions. By the way, your becoming the Chief Minister without ever contesting an election was not the result of some magical trick, my friend! It happened simply because you were the 'readymade prince' of a 'readymade party.' Now that you have realised that contesting an election would lead to a humiliating defeat, have you decided to run away from the battlefield?" Rajbhar wrote.
Continuing his attack, the minister referred to the SP's previous government in Uttar Pradesh and alleged that the party's administration had been influenced by superstitions.
"My friend Akhilesh ji, this is no longer the government of the 'red-cap' brigade, the period when the state was governed by people obsessed with superstitions. The people uprooted that government, which relied on such regressive beliefs, and threw it out of power ten years ago. From Noida and Agra to Ayodhya and Mathura, the public rejected that kind of politics across the state," he said.
Rajbhar further mocked Akhilesh Yadav over his political career, claiming that the SP chief had managed to become Chief Minister only once and would not get another opportunity to occupy the post.
"Today, we have collectively driven away all your superstitions and demons. They have all disappeared! In any case, you have managed to become Chief Minister only once in your entire political career, and there is no possibility of it happening again, not even in your next lifetime. You could have at least displayed some courage by contesting from one Assembly seat. It appears that the challenge has left you rattled," Rajbhar said.
The minister also brought religious references into his attack, mentioning Akhilesh Yadav's alleged visit to a crossroads to eat sweets and questioning why he had not visited nearby temples during the same trip.
"Well, may Baba Vishwanath bless you. You found the time to stop at a crossroads and eat sweets, but could not spare a few moments to bow your head at His sanctum, which was only a short distance away. You could have at least visited the nearby shrine of Kaal Bhairav Baba. That might have offered a remedy for all your superstitious rituals and occult practices," Rajbhar added.