People stay in Kashi 'when the end nears', Akhilesh on PM's visit to Varanasi; BJP calls comment cruel

Etawah/New Delhi: As Prime Minister Narendra Modi kickstarted his visit to Varanasi, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Monday remarked jeeringly that people stay in Benaras "when the end nears", sparking condemnation from the BJP which said his taunts were "cruel" and equated the former chief minister with Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.

Yadav's taunts aimed at Modi came when he was told by reporters in Etawah in Uttar Pradesh that the prime minister is in Varanasi and that there are plans to hold month-long cultural events in the temple town.

"Bahut achhi baat hai. Ek Maheena nahin, do mahina, teen mahina wahin rahein. Woh jagah rahene wali hai. Aakhri samay par vaheen raha jata hai, Benaras mein," he said. (It is a very good thing. Not just one month. He should stay there for two months, three months. That's the place to stay. When the end nears, that's where one stays - in Benaras). Yadav's remarks are expected to raise the political heat in UP ahead of the Assembly polls early next year.

According to Hindu beliefs, it is considered auspicious for people to spend the last days of their lives in the holy city of Benaras.

Union minister Pralhad Joshi slammed Yadav, saying his party's government had fired on 'kar sevaks' in Ayodhya and that "such cruel and uncivilised comments show his mindset".

"If he had any empathy about Hindu beliefs, he would have welcomed the inauguration of Kashi Vishwanath Dham. But all he is bothered about is his vote bank. Political differences are one thing but to wish for someone's end is condemnable. People will teach him a lesson," he told reporters in Delhi. Union minister Arjun Ram Meghwal said Yadav spoke from the same mindset which had fired bullets on 'kar sevaks'. Aurangzeb had tried to destroy the Vishwanath Temple, and Yadav now stands with him, he alleged.