'It was their plan to announce Yogi as PM': Akhilesh Yadav's claim on BJP's Maha Kumbh strategy

NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stirred the pot with a claim about the Maha Kumbh of this year, suggesting that it was part of a BJP plot to present Yogi Adityanath as the Prime Ministerial candidate.

Addressing the media in Prayagraj, SP supremo said, "It is being heard that during the Maha Kumbh, it was their plan to announce his (CM Yogi Adityanath) name as the Prime Minister's face. They wanted to make this a political Kumbh. This was not a religious Kumbh."

#WATCH | Prayagraj, UP: Samajwadi Party chief and MP Akhilesh Yadav says "It is being heard that during the Maha Kumbh, it was their plan to announce his (CM Yogi Adityanath) name as the Prime Minister's face. They wanted to make this a political Kumbh. This was not a religious… pic.twitter.com/jEFNXs86Q6

— ANI (@ANI) April 20, 2025

Yadav didn’t stop there. He targeted the saffron party, accusing it of fostering division in society. "The truth is that if anyone is creating rifts between religions, then it is the BJP. Creating a divide in society in the name of religion, caste is a very well-planned programme of the BJP, and they spend funds on it. Whatever was said is the thinking of the BJP," he said.

His comments came on the heels of the heated political row surrounding BJP MP Nishikant Dubey's remarks about the Supreme Court.

Dubey had alleged that the apex court was "inciting religious wars" and questioned its authority, suggesting that Parliament should shut down if the judiciary was to make laws.

"The top court has only one aim: 'Show me the face, and I will show you the law'. The Supreme Court is going beyond its limits. If one has to go to the Supreme Court for everything, then Parliament and the State Assembly should be shut," Dubey said.

The BJP, meanwhile, distanced itself from Dubey’s statements, with party leaders asserting that these remarks were personal and not aligned with the party's position.