Anurag Thakur is also the Uttar Pradesh election co-incharge.
Launching a scathing attack on Samajwadi Party president and former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav ahead of 2022 assembly polls in the state, Union Sports Minister Anurag Thakur on Saturday said the BJP organizes "dangal" (wrestling matches) while SP organises "dange" (riots).
While addressing "Sansad Khel Mahakumbh" organised in the Baghpat district of the poll-bound state, Mr Thakur, who is also the Uttar Pradesh election co-incharge, said, "...Akhilesh Yadav says that BJP organised sports event for MPs here. Akhilesh bhai, tum dange karwate ho, hum dangal karwate hain. (Akhilesh, you orchestrate riots, we organise sports events)."
"Akhilesh Yadav is complaining that these MPs organise "Khel Mahakumbh". If we are giving the youth a chance to progress in sports, then what is the harm?" the minister asked.
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath had also taken a dig at Mr Yadav recently terming him "a Jinnah follower" and alleged that Mr Yadav's government incited a series of riots in the state when he was in power.
In view of the elections to 403 Assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh, which are due early next year, political parties have been preparing strategies to garner votes by visiting states and promising people of implementing various welfare schemes.
In 2017 elections in Uttar Pradesh, the BJP bagged 312 seats out of the 403-seat Uttar Pradesh Assembly while Samajwadi Party bagged 47 seats, Bahujan Samajwadi Party (BSP) won 19 and Congress could manage to win only seven seats. The rest of the seats were bagged by other candidates.