Hindustan Times (Lucknow)

Stop endorsing ‘donkeys of Gujarat’: Akhilesh to Bachchan

- Press Trust of India letters@hindustant­imes.com

RAE BARELI: Chief minister Akhilesh Yadav had a piece of advice for megastar Amitabh Bachchan, “don’t advertise for the donkeys of Gujarat.”

Without taking any name, he referred to the advertisem­ent in which Bachchan, the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism, is seen inviting tourists to visit the Wild Ass Sanctuary located in Little Rann of Kutch in the state.

“Ek gadhe ka vigyapan aata hai. Main iss sadi ke sabse bade mahanayak se kahunga ke ab aap Gujarat ke gadhon ka prachar mat kariye (There’s an ad on TV which shows donkeys. I appeal to century’s biggest star, please stop endorsing the donkeys of Gujarat),” Akhilesh said, giving an interestin­g twist to the no-holds-barred election campaign.

“What will happen if the donkeys also start getting advertised?,” the CM asked the audience at an election rally in Unchahar assembly constituen­cy on Monday.

Akhilesh also accused prime minister Modi of spreading lies about discrimina­tion in power supply during Ramzan and Diwali. Akhilesh also claimed that he ensured 24-hour power supply for Varanasi after a request to do so came from veteran BJP MLA Shyamdeo Roy Chowdhury. “If he (Modi) claims himself to be son of Ganga Maiyya, then he should answer whether SP is giving 24-hour power supply to Varanasi or not,” the SP national president said.

During an election rally in Fatehpur on Sunday, Modi had accused the state government of adopting biased approach on the basis of religion. He had said if the state government is giving 24-hour power supply during Ramzan, the same provisions should be made during Diwali too.

 ?? PTI PHOTO ?? Congress vicepresid­ent Rahul Gandhi at an election rally at Pathartal village, near Allahabad, on Monday.
PTI PHOTO Congress vicepresid­ent Rahul Gandhi at an election rally at Pathartal village, near Allahabad, on Monday.
 ?? HT PHOTO ?? Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav in Allahabad on Monday.
HT PHOTO Kannauj MP Dimple Yadav in Allahabad on Monday.

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