LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday termed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath useless or "unupyogi", citing incidents of crimes against Dalits and women under his rule.
He made the remark in a tweet, punning on the Hindi word Up-Yogi (useful) as Prime Minister Narendra Modi called him earlier in the day.
In a public address in Shahjahanpur, Modi coined a new slogan "UP plus Yogi bahut hai upyogi" to praise Adityanath for eliminating mafias" and undertaking developmental work in the state.
In his tweet Akhilesh said, "The daughter of Hathras, the farmers of Lakhimpur, the trader of Gorakhpur, women who are feeling insecure, unemployed youths, the Dalits, and the backward class (people) are saying for UP, the current government is not useful, it is useless".
"UP is today saying that it does not want the BJP," he added.
Akhilesh headed Samajwadi Party government in the state from 2012-17 and was succeeded by Yogi Adityanath.
The war of words between BJP and SP continued ahead of crucial assembly elections scheduled early next year in the state.
Modi was addressing a rally after laying the foundation stone of 594-km-long Ganga Expressway in UP's Shahjahanpur district.
The BJP has already declared Adityanath to be its face in the upcoming polls.