Akhilesh attacks Modi over greetings to Imran

After BSP supremo Mayawati described Prime Minister Narendra Modi's greeting to his Pakistani counterpart Imran Khan on the Pakistan Day as "cheating", Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said the letter should have been sent after the permission from 130 crore people of the country.

"This letter should have been sent after getting permission from the 130 crore people of the country," Yadav tweeted attaching the tweet of Mayawati.

Earlier in the day, Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati accused the Prime Minister of double speak for votes.

"On one hand, for vote bank politics several statements were made against Pakistan and strict public stand was taken. But on the other hand, a secret letter is sent to Pakistan Prime Minister. (Is) such act by Modi to cheat 130 crore people correct? People need to remain alert," she tweeted.

Her remarks came a day after Khan claimed Modi greeted him on their national day after the weeks of heightened tension between India and Pakistan, triggered by the Pulwama terror attack.

"Received message from PM Modi: 'I extend my greetings and best wishes to the people of Pakistan on the National Day of Pakistan. It is time that people of the sub-continent work together for a democratic, peaceful, progressive and prosperous region, in an atmosphere free of terror and violence'," the cricketer-turned-politician tweeted.

Khan's tweet came on a day when the Indian government boycotted Pakistan's National Day event in New Delhi and the Indian High Commissioner in Islamabad also announced that he would not be attending the event there.

Pakistan National Day is celebrated on March 23 every year to mark the Lahore Resolution.

--IANS

aks/rs/pcj