My lions are hungry, don't go near them: Akhilesh to UP CM
Amid the crackdown on slaughterhouses, ex-UP CM Akhilesh Yadav has cautioned his successor Yogi Adityanath not to go near his lions as they would be hungry. The Akhilesh-led government had "imported" Gujarat lions for the Etawah Lion Safari project. Around ?1 lakh is reportedly spent monthly on the upbringing of each pair of animals, which are currently being fed chicken.
In his first ever interaction with the media after losing the chair to Adityanath Yogi, former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday cautioned Yogi to keep a distance from his lions."My lions (Gujarat Babbar Sher) are hungry...I would like to caution you not to go near them as they can harm you," Akhilesh said in a press conference at the Samajwadi Party's office.The statement was an indirect assault on the newly formed government's crackdown on the slaughterhouses as was promised in the manifesto of the BJP.It is to be mentioned that Akhilesh has "imported" Gujarat lions for his dream project Etawan Lion Safari and as per the records of the state government, nearly Rs 1 lakh is spent every month on food and upbringing of each pair of animals. Due to shortage of red meat, the lions are at present fed with chicken meat and arrangements are being made to import red meat from neighbouring states.TAKE CARE OF MY PEACOCKS, AKHILESH ASKSAkhilesh also requested the CM to take care of his peacocks. "When I used to live there, three peacocks came there (5 Kalidas Marg, the official residence of the CM) and were living with us like family members. I have come to know that Yogiji will be opening a gaushala (cow shed) there. It is my humble request to him to also take care of my peacocks," he said.Taking a jibe at the recent Shudhikaran of the CM's house, Akhilesh said he will take more effective steps for the same."When we will return to power in 2022, I will ensure that the entire residence is washed with Gangajal. Fire tenders will be pressed into service for the same," he said.AKHILESH TAUNTS OFFICIALSAkhilesh also expressed surprise on the "skills" of government officials. "If I had the idea about the brooming skills of these officials, I could have utilised them effectively," he said while taunting the officials who were seen cleaning their offices after taking cleanliness oath.Taking a jibe at the media Akhilesh said, "I am waiting for the days when you (media) will publish Yogi's picture along with incident of rapes and murder as you used to do with me."Akhilesh also informed that his party has reviewed the reason behind the land slide defeat in the elections. "The review is still going on and we are introspecting our weaknesses," he added.ALSO READ | Mulayam, Shivpal skip Akhilesh-led Samajwadi Party's national executive