Yogis do namune jibe backfires as Akhilesh calls remark a BJP self-goal
Samajwadi Party supremo Akhilesh Yadav on Monday sought to turn Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanaths do namune jibe into a political gotcha moment, claiming the remark was a self-goal that amounted to an open admission of an alleged rift within the Bharatiya Janata Party, particularly between its Delhi and Lucknow power centres. The sharp exchange unfolded amid a political slugfest over the alleged illegal trade of codeine-based cough syrup, with Adityanath taking potshots at opposition leaders Akhilesh Yadav and Rahul Gandhi while speaking in the Uttar Pradesh Assembly on Monday. Replying to allegations raised by the Samajwadi Party during the second day of the Vidhan Sabhas winter session, the chief minister dismissed the charges as politically motivated and said the uproar created by the opposition reflected a case of chor ki dadhi mein tinka (a guilty conscience). There are two namune in the country, Adityanath said. One sits in Delhi and the other in Lucknow. Whenever there is any discussion on any issue in the country, these individuals immediately flee abroad. ... , , ... pic.twitter.com/vv0eabVu2S Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) December 22, 2025 He went on to add, I think the same thing is happening with your Babua. He will also leave the country again for a trip to England, and you people will keep shouting here, using a term he frequently employs to target Akhilesh Yadav during political rallies. The chief ministers barbed remarks came amid an escalating war of words over the alleged codeine cough syrup smuggling case. Last week, Akhilesh Yadav had claimed at a press conference that the racket originated from the Prime Ministers parliamentary constituency, a charge that drew sharp pushback from the BJP and the state government. Strongly rejecting the Samajwadi Partys allegations that the illegal trade had run into thousands of crores of rupees and had allegedly claimed the lives of hundreds of children, Adityanath said the matter was under investigation and asserted that the trail could eventually point towards the opposition party itself. I think if you delve deeper into this matter, it will all boil down to the same thing that some leader or individual associated with the Samajwadi Party is involved, he said. Adityanath further claimed that financial transactions linked to the alleged syrup racket had passed through the account of an office-bearer of the Samajwadi Partys Lohia Vahini. The transaction in this syrup case also went through the account of an office-bearer of the Samajwadi Partys Lohia Vahini. The Special Task Force is investigating the matter, he told the House. Citing legal developments, the chief minister said the High Court had ruled that the entire case should be prosecuted under the NDPS Act. The Uttar Pradesh government has fought this battle and won, he said. Laying out figures to underline the scale of action taken so far, Adityanath said 79 cases had been registered, 225 accused named and 78 people arrested. He added that raids had been conducted on 134 firms in connection with the alleged racket. Warning that the government would not go soft on anyone involved, the chief minister said the racket was far bigger than what had surfaced so far and vowed bulldozer-style action against all mafias, even if they belonged to the Samajwadi Party. No accused in this case will escape. And dont worry, when the time comes, preparations will also be made for bulldozer action. Dont complain then, he said. Reacting sharply, Akhilesh Yadav said the chief ministers do namune remark amounted to a self-admission and exposed the internal discord within the BJP. In a post on X, the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said the statement showed that the DelhiLucknow tussle within the ruling party had reached an unexpected level. Self-admission. No one had expected that the DelhiLucknow fight would reach this point. People holding constitutional positions should maintain at least some sense of propriety and not cross the limits of decorum, Yadav said. He also took a swipe at the ruling party for airing its internal differences in public. BJP leaders should not bring their partys internal infighting to the crossroads. If someone takes offence, they may have to retreat, Yadav added. (With inputs from PTI)
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