Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav has criticised Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for his remarks on Bangladesh. The SP leader stated that Adityanath, who aspires to become the Prime Minister, should not be interfering in foreign affairs decisions.

Earlier today, at a program in Agra, Adityanath emphasised the importance of "unity" and urged that the "mistakes" seen in Bangladesh be avoided. He cautioned, "If we are divided, we will suffer. If we remain united, we will thrive, stay secure, and achieve the highest levels of prosperity."

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"Aap dekh rahe hain Bangladesh mein kya ho raha hai? Wo galtiyan yahan nahi honi chahiye. Batenge to katenge! Ek rahenge to nek rahenge, surakshit rahenge aur samriddhi ki parakashtha jo pahuchenge. (Are you seeing what is happening in Bangladesh? Those mistakes should not take place here. If divided, we will be cut. If divided, we will be cut. If we remain united, we will be good, secure and reach the pinnacle of prosperity),” Adityanath said as quoted by news agency PTI.

Responding to Adityanath's comments, Yadav said, "He (Adityanath) wants to become the prime minister but at least he should not play the role of prime minister. This is the job of the prime minister, the government of India to decide the relations India wants with which country of the world."

"This is not the first time that the chief minister has done something like this. He has done it in the past too. I hope ‘Delhi-wale’ will make him understand that he should not interfere in the decisions that are taken by Delhi," the former UP chief minister said.

The SP leader also took a jibe at the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), predicting that the central government would soon make a U-turn on the issues of the old pension scheme and caste census. He said he had predicted this a year ago and was confident that the BJP would now accept and move forward with these demands.

Regarding the upcoming by-elections in Uttar Pradesh, Yadav exuded confidence in the people's support for the SP. He quipped, "Jab janta hai sang, to kya karega Sangh (RSS), wo Sangh jo chhupke ran-neeti bana raha hai (What will the RSS, which is silently preparing a strategy, do when the public is with us).” Yadav quipped.

Meanwhile, AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi also reacted to Adityanath's remark, stating "Those who themselves give hate speeches about Muslims are talking about the division and unity of the country."

"Earlier, he said ‘thok denge,’ and now it's ‘batenge to katenge’ when he's the one dividing people. He’s saying all this because he knows his party members want to remove him and it shows his insecurity and unpopularity in Uttar Pradesh," Owaisi said in video message on X.