"I came in between" Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Tuesday, taking a dig at the leaders of the Congress and the Samajwadi Party who had formed a coalition to take on the Bharatiya Janata Party.
"I am younger by one year to Rahulji and one year older to Akhilesh Yadav. And I came between the two (Rahul and Akhilesh). This could be a major reason for their failure," Adityanath said in Lok Sabha while speaking on the Finance Bill, 2017.
Adityanath, who is still a member of the Lok Sabha, was apparently referring to the coalition formed by the Samajwadi Party and the Congress to take on the BJP in the just-held assembly polls. However, the BJP trounced the coalition by grabbing 312 seats in the 403-member assembly.
The chief minister, who assumed charge on Sunday, took the dig while addressing Congress leader Mallikarjun Kharge.
Kharge then responded: "You have become the chief ,inister. You should maintain the dignity of the post of the chief minister."
Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan then told Adityanath: "Khargeji is elder to you. You should accept his blessings."
© 2025