Yogi Adityanath's dig at Rahul and Akhilesh: I came in between you two

NEW DELHI: "I came in between" Rahul Gandhi and Akhilesh Yadav, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said today, taking a dig at the leaders of Congress and Samajwadi Party who had formed a coalition to take on the BJP.

"I am younger by one year to Rahul jee 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 Minister. You should maintain the dignity of the post of the Chief Minister."

Lok Sabha Speaker Sumitra Mahajan then told Adityanath: "Kharge jee is elder to you. You should accept his blessings."