Lionising a controversy

The bitterness over the delivery and welfare of a contingent of lions between the governments of Gujarat and Uttar Pradesh just doesn't seem to go away (see "Animal spirits", Chinese Whispers, April 21). The lions were sent by Gujarat for a lion safari in Etawah, which is yet to start. As a result, the big cats are still in cages. Campaigning in Uttar Pradesh last week, Narendra Modi had made a comment to the effect that since the UP government could not take care of the lions from Gujarat, how could it be relied on to take care of the state. The comment had sparked an ironic reply from UP Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav since the safari was apparently waiting for some know-how from Gujarat before it could begin. Still, Modi's comment obviously rankled. So Yadav followed up on the controversy during his visit to Gujarat on April 21 saying his government had allotted 300 acres for the lions. "If the BJP's PM contender was so worried about the lions, why didn't he visit them when he was campaigning in Etawah last week? At least, he should have dropped in to say hello to the lions," he added.