"I accept every word": Ajay Rai responds to Akhilesh Yadav's 'chirkut' remark

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh) [India], October 19 (ANI): Amid rising tensions within the INDIA alliance, Uttar Pradesh Congress State President Ajay Rai reacted over Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav's 'chirkut' remark.
"I am a common man. He can use whichever word he wants. I am a small party worker of the Congress... I accept every word he (Akhilesh Yadav) uses for me... I request that if we want to defeat the BJP in Madhya Pradesh, then he should support the Congress... He (Akhilesh Yadav) should be patient and support the Congress in Madhya Pradesh just like we supported him in Ghosi," Ajay Rai said.
Earlier, Congress's UP unit chief Ajay Rai asked the SP to withdraw from MP in favour of the grand old party as the Akhilesh Yadav-led party, he said, did not have any base there.
Ajay Rai said that "If you (Akhilesh Yadav) are a part of the INDIA alliance, then you will have to see what the situation is in each state. In Madhya Pradesh, there is a fight between Congress and the BJP, so SP should be supportive (to Congress). They had only one MLA and there he also joined the BJP."
In this reponse, Samajwadi Party (SP) President slammed Congress leader Ajay Rai for suggesting the SP should support his party in the upcoming Madhya Pradesh Assembly election.
Akhilesh Yadav, upset over Congress "turning its back" on seat-sharing in Madhya Pradesh, said, "I want to tell the Congress, don't talk about our party through your 'chirkut' leaders."
He further said he was unaware of the fact that the INDIA bloc has been formed at the national level to defeat the BJP and the alliance partners are not fighting together at the state level.
Akhilesh Yadav responded fiercely when reporters asked him about his reaction to Congress Uttar Pradesh chief Ajay Rai's statement that if Congress had fought Ghosi, they (SP) might have lost the seat.
"The state chief has no authority. He was not there in the meeting held at Patna, Mumbai. What does he know about the INDIA alliance?... These people from Congress are siding or involved with the BJP," the SP leader said while talking to reporters in Sitapur.
Meanwhile, reacting to Ajay Rai's statement, Samajwadi Party leader Shivpal Singh Yadav said that the Samajwadi Party wants to defeat the BJP in Uttar Pradesh...We want Congress to be together.
"The Samajwadi Party wants to defeat the BJP in Uttar Pradesh...We want Congress to be together... Other parties should also be together. All the secular parties should be together and should defeat the BJP in the 2024 elections. We will fight the 2024 elections with the INDIA Alliance," he added.
Moreover, Congress MP Pramod Tiwari said nothing is going to impact the INDIA alliance and the bloc is intact.
"I don't know what was said by who. This is not the final day before the elections. We should wait. INDIA alliance is intact. We have heard the statement of Ramgopal Yadav, that there are no 'ifs' or 'buts' there. Statements can't be made on everything. All I can say is - all is well," Tiwari said.
Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party (SP) has released its second list of candidates for the upcoming Madhya Pradesh assembly polls, according to an official statement issued by the party on Wednesday.
The party has declared the names of a total of 22 candidates in the second list.
Madhya Pradesh is one of the five states set to hold elections this year. The state is scheduled to vote on November 17, with the vote count taking place on December 3. (ANI)