Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath  came down hard at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav who had praised Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, Jawaharlal Nehru and Muhammad Ali Jinnah in the same breath while speaking about India’s Independence struggle.

The fireband Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader termed Yadav’s remarks “shameful” and accused the SP chief of having a Talibani mindset that divides people.

“Sardar Patel united the country. Presently, under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, work is underway to achieve ‘Ek Bharat, Shresth Bharat’ mission,” Adityantah said.

Addressing a public meeting in UP’s Hardoi, Yadav had praised Patel on his 146th birth anniversary but courted controversy while mentioning the Pakistan founder’s name while praising the leaders who had fought for India’s independence.

“Sardar Patel understood the ground and he made decisions accordingly. Hence, he is also known as Iron Man. “Sardar Patel, Father of the Nation Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah studied in the same institute and became barristers. They helped (India) get freedom and never backed away from any struggle,” Yadav said, prompting criticism from the BJP.

UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh criticised Yadav, saying “Why is Akhilesh Yadav praising Muhammad Ali Jinnah on the birth anniversary of Sardar Patel?”

BJP Rajya Sabha MP Brij Lal also took aim at the Samajwadi Party chief. In a video message, he said, “SP chief Akhilesh Yadav compared Iron Man (Sardar Patel) with Jinnah. Akhilesh Yadav must read history. Jinnah was involved in the mass murder of Hindus, and also in the partition of the country. A day before the Sardar Patel anniversary, your father (Mulayam Singh Yadav) on October 30, 1990 had fired on Ram devotees in Ayodhya, and mother Saryu (river) became red.”