Lucknow: Samajwadi party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav on Thursday accused the BJP of igniting caste politics in the state and blamed Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for creating the "mess."
Addressing a convention of retired Army personnel in the state capital, the 45-year-old leader said that "due to the chaos that the monk-turned-politician is presiding over", his days in power were numbered. He said Adityanath will not remain in his chair in 2019.
He claimed the sudden spurt in the caste-based conventions by the BJP, especially by deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya, indicated an imminent change of guard in the state.
While he did not name Maurya, he dropped enough hints that the backward caste leader was feeling slighted as his contribution in the 2017 assembly elections was not recognised.
"After stoking communal passions, now these people are whipping up passions on the reservation issue", the former Chief Minister said.
He also exhorted retired Army men to take part in his mission to uproot the BJP from the state in 2019.
Yadav also reiterated his demand for ballot paper in place of electronic voting machines (EVMs).
The BJP, meanwhile, dismiss Yadav's remarks, saying the SP leader should "take care of his family and party, which were on verge of breaking up."