SP Questions Absence Of DY CMs From UP Govt's Diwali Ads

Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday took a swipe at the state government for allegedly omitting the names of both deputy chief ministers from official publicity material for the Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya.

In a post on X, Yadav shared a couplet in Hindi, questioning the significance of the deputy chief ministers in the BJP-led government.

"Those who didn't even find space in the advertisement, what importance do they have left in the government?", Yadav wrote.

The SP chief questioned whether the posts of deputy chief ministers in the Uttar Pradesh government had effectively been done away with, noting that while names of junior ministers featured in the advertisements, those of deputy CMs were missing.

"Is this a case of 'not fitting in, hence kept out' or has a mindset of dominance taken over?" he wrote, alleging that even within the BJP's "double engine" framework, internal rivalries were playing out publicly.

Yadav also criticised the absence of Ayodhya MP Avdhesh Prasad from the event, saying the PDA community had been deeply hurt by the move.

"From a BJP that is immersed in the arrogance of supremacy and does not stand by its own, what can the people expect?" he added.

The post concluded with "Abki baar, Deputy CM baahar" (This time, Deputy CMs are out).

Speaking to reporters in Safai later in the day, Yadav raised this issue again and said, "The BJP has given a news slogan 'Abki baar, Deputy CM baahar.' They have been ousted in such a way that they had to cancel there programme. I have heard that one of them was not invited willingly and the other was not invited because he is from PDA." Uttar Pradesh currently has two deputy chief ministers — Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak.

Yadav also shared a news clip in his post, which claimed that both deputy chief ministers opted out of attending the Deepotsav event after their names were not included in official posters.

The two deputy chief ministers were also not seen in the main event at Ram Katha Park in Ayodhya, which Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath addressed.

The BJP or the state government has so far not said anything regarding the controversy.