Mathura:
Rashtriya Lok Dal president Ajit Singh has referred to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Union minister Smriti Irani as "bull, calf and cow", triggering a row. Calling the remarks "undignified", a BJP leader demanded an apology from the RLD chief. During his 'Kisanon se Samvad' (dialogue with farmers) event at Kosi Kalan in Mathura on Thursday, Singh said it is the virtue of democracy that the people have the right to change a prime minister after five years if they get a "wrong" one.
"I read in newspapers these days that your cows, bulls and calves (gai-bail-bachhde) are roaming around a lot," he said in an apparent reference to the stray cattle menace. "You are locking them up in schools and colleges. People call them Modi-Yogi. Is that right?" he added.
"Some people also say that a 'hatti-katti gai' (well-built cow) has come. Smriti Irani is also moving around," Singh said. The Union minister recently visited Amethi.
The RLD chief led the public in chanting slogans like ‘”Modi Haye Haye” and “Modi Bye Bye".
He held the Modi government responsible for the problems faced by farmers, and businessmen after the demonetisation. Local BJP leader Yogesh Goswami said the RLD chief had insulted the Constitution.
"This is a very uncivilised and undignified statement," he said. "The prime minister, the chief minister and the Union textiles minister are political figures holding constitutional posts and making indecent comments on them is like insulting the Constitution," Goswami said.
He said it is against Indian culture to make such comments against a woman. It does not behove the chief of a political party to make them, Goswami said, demanding that Singh apologise to the BJP leaders.
