Akhilesh takes potshots at Beni, calls him 'commander on lease'

Lucknow, Mar 5 (ANI): Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav on Monday took a dig at Union Steel Minister Beni Prasad Verma over his comments on poll- tie-ups in Uttar Pradesh, saying the latter is a commander on lease for the Congress Party.

"He (Verma) is a commander on lease. And commanders on lease cannot really do anything. The Congress had taken the commander on lease for sometime, but the results, which are coming are not bad. They are looking for ways to throw them out of the party," said Yadav in response to Verma's comment that the Samajwadi Party is a party of 'goons'.

Yadav also expressed confidence that the Samajwadi Party would come to power in Uttar Pradesh with a clear majority.

"The voting has been done against anarchaic attitude of the government. The people have voted with all honesty to remove the government. The coming times will show the results. But so far various results have come out in the analyses of different news channel," said Yadav.

"Estimates are also being made that the Samajwadi Party will come out as the strongest party. So, I believe the way the voting has been cast and estimates are coming in, the Samajwadi Party will get the majority and it will form a government with full majority," he added.

Yadav further rubbished reports of him being the next chief minister of Uttar Pradesh following the Samajwadi Party's victory in the assembly polls, and said that his father and party chief Mulayam Singh Yadav would become the chief minister.

"Well, no such thing has been discussed within the party. Nobody has also discussed this thing with me and neither is the party thinking on such lines. All the senior leaders, workers and activists of the party want our leader (Mulayam Singh Yadav) should be the chief minister," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh polls are being viewed as an opportunity for major political parties to re-establish their foothold in the country's fifth largest and most populous state.

The first, second, third, fourth, fifth, sixth and seventh phases of polling occurred on February 8, 11, 15, 19, 23, 28 respectively and March 3.

The poll results will broadly indicate trends for the 2014 general elections. (ANI)