Guj BJP fumes at Akhilesh's 'insult', says donkeys are loyal unlike him

Akhilesh Yadav's 'donkey' remark targeting the Prime Minister triggered a sharp reaction from the Gujarat BJP, which accused the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister of "insulting" the people of the western state.

The BJP leaders in the home state of Narendra Modi also took a swipe at Akhilesh over his tussle for power with his father Mulayam Singh Yadav, saying that unlike him, donkeys are loyal and he should learn from the animal.

"Akhilesh Yadav, by appealing to Amitabh Bachchan that he should not 'campaign for the donkeys' of the state, has insulted Gujarat," state BJP chief Jitu Vaghani said.

Akhilesh yesterday targeted Modi and BJP president Amit Shah as he "appealed" to Bachchan not to "campaign for the donkeys of Gujarat". Bachchan is the brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism.

"The UP Chief Minister is facing defeat in his state but that does not give him a licence to insult people of Gujarat," Vaghani said. BJP leaders also taunted Akhilesh saying he does not know the difference between wild asses, which are found in Gujarat, and donkeys.

"Bachchan (who belongs to Uttar Pradesh and whose wife is a Samajwadi Party MP) is a superstar and is well-known all over the world. By becoming brand ambassador of Gujarat Tourism, he has helped in growth of tourism," he added.