Ghosi by-poll campaign: Maurya’s ‘cobra’ remark draws swift retort from SP

Lucknow: Days after the ink-attack, epithets like ‘cobra’ and ‘apshakuni’ (unlucky) surfaced during campaigning for the Ghosi by-poll

s in Uttar Pradesh (UP). The Bharatiya Janata Party and the Samajwadi Party are locked in a straight contest on this east UP seat.

Deputy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya, who arrived to campaign for the by-poll, accused SP chief Akhilesh Yadav of cheating OBCs and compared him to a ‘cobra’, which riled the Samajwadi Party. The SP swiftly hit back, saying that Maurya was ‘unlucky’ (apshakuni) for the BJP.

Though videos of Maurya’s campaign address weren’t available, party leaders said during his speech the deputy CM did make a reference to ‘cobra’.

“However, he didn’t take any name. He merely said that some leaders had so much poison in them that they were virtually like a cobra, as they were unable to see any other OBC leader rise,” said UP BJP spokesman Navin Srivastava.

Maurya joined the Ghosi by-poll campaign with several other UP ministers, including agriculture minister and BJP veteran Surya Pratap Shahi, energy minister AK Sharma, prison minister Dharamvir Prajapati and transport minister Daya Shankar Singh, along with lawmakers and party functionaries.

The quick retaliation came from SP veteran Shivpal Yadav who described Maurya as ‘apshakuni (unlucky)’ for the BJP.

“He is unlucky for the BJP which loses where-ever he goes. He lost Sirathu assembly seat and now with him joining the by-poll in Ghosi, the BJP will forfeit its deposit here,” Shivpal said.

The BJP countered Shivpal. “The SP leaders have lost the plot completely. Keshav ji won from Sirathu even during SP wave in 2012 and from Phulpur LS seat in 2014, both seats where lotus blossomed for the first time. In 2017, with him as UP BJP chief, the party riding the Modi wave had a landmark victory in UP,” said Srivastava.