A large banner describing Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav as the 'future prime minister' of the country has appeared outside the party office in the Uttar Pradesh capital, generating a buzz in political circles.
Asked about it, SP national secretary and spokesperson Rajendra Chaudhary told PTI, "This is the feeling of the workers. What else can be said about this?"
The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party, however, described it as "Mungeri Lal ke haseen sapne (a pipedream)" of Yadav's associates and an attempt to put pressure on other members of the INDIA opposition grouping.
During the last few days, Yadav has publicly expressed his unhappiness with the Congress over the failure to arrive at a seat-sharing arrangement in Madhya Pradesh.
"Hearty congratulations and best wishes on his birthday to the future prime minister of the country, respected Akhilesh Yadav ji," the poster read, though Akhilesh Yadav's official date of birth is July 1.
Besides the picture of Akhilesh Yadav, the poster also carries the picture of party state spokesperson Fakhrul Hasan 'Chand', who earlier in July on the birthday of the SP chief had put up a similar banner outside the SP office.
When asked if Akhilesh Yadav is a contender for the post of prime minister in the next Lok Sabha elections, Chaudhary said, "No, the party has never said so."
Hasan, however, said that party workers had wanted SP founder Mulayam Singh Yadav to be the prime minister of the country.
"Now we hope that Akhilesh Yadav will fulfil that dream," he said.
"The route to the throne of Delhi goes through Uttar Pradesh and in this state, the Bharatiya Janata Party can be defeated only on the strength of SP.
"In such a situation, the parties included in the INDIA bloc should show big heart and make the SP chief a contender for the post of prime minister," Hasan said.
Reacting to the poster, BJP spokesperson Avaneesh Tyagi said, "Akhilesh Yadav has been totally rejected by the people of Uttar Pradesh and has no base in other states as well."
"His allies are continuously parting ways with him and under such circumstances, these are nothing but Mungeri Lal ke haseen sapne of his associates that are never going to see the light of the day."
"Prime Minister Narendra Modi is all set to return to power for the third time for which people have already made up their mind. This is only a pressure tactic of the SP in the INDIA grouping and has no meaning whatsoever," Tyagi claimed.
Earlier in April this year, SP MLA from Lucknow-Central seat and former minister Ravidas Mehrotra had also said that Yadav should be a prime ministerial candidate.
