BALLIA: Challenging Akhilesh Yadav to contest the 2022 Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls from Bairia, BJP MLA from the constituency Surendra Singh has said he will retire from politics if he does not trump the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief by over one lakh votes.
He also slammed farmer leader Rakesh Tikait and called him a "seasoned politician", saying he is carrying out the farmers' movement as he is enjoying the patronage of opposition parties.
"If I do not defeat Yadav by over one lakh votes, I will take sanyas (retire) from electoral politics," Singh told reporters on the sidelines of a tractor rally organised by the Bharatiya Janata Party's (BJP) Kisan Morcha at the district headquarters here on Tuesday.
Taking a swipe at Tikait, he said the Bharatiya Kisan Union (BKU) leader was doing politics because he received "funds".
"He has been organising the farmers' agitation at the behest of the SP and the Congress," the BJP leader alleged.
Singh questioned the rationale behind continuing with the farmers' movement when Prime Minister Narendra Modi had announced the withdrawal of the new farm laws, "respecting the sentiments of the people".
The Parliament approved the repeal of the three laws on Tuesday.
Singh said Yadav and Tikait are "dishonest" and they will not be able to stand against Modi and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath.
Modi has considered the world as his family, whereas for Yadav, his family is the world, he said.
"One who considers his family as the world is dishonest," the BJP MLA said.