Akhilesh Yadav is Bhrashtachar Bhushan: UP Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak

Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak has conferred the title of 'Bhrashtachar Bhushan' on Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav.

This comes days after Akhilesh Yadav joined opposition leaders in accusing the BJP of using central agencies like ED and CBI to target its political opponents.

Pathak said that the SP chief was 'trying to save his party' from a host of corruption charges.

He squarely accused Akhilesh of 'patronizing' and 'shielding' scamsters who eventually got indicted by the Lokayukta.

He said had there been any award for the corrupt, the SP chief would have received the title of 'Bhrashtachar Bhushan'.

"Everyone knows what Akhilesh did," he said, listing out alleged scams, including those related to Gomti riverfront, mining, ration and laptop scam, which allegedly took place in the SP tenure between 2012 and 2017.

"The Yogi Adityanath government is committed to bringing the 'corrupt' to book as per the rule of law," he asserted.

On March 5, Akhilesh had joined the eight opposition leaders, including TMC chief, West Bengal Chief Minister Mamata Banerjee and Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejrwal, in writing to Prime Minister Narendra Modi claiming that the Centre was targeting the opposition leaders by using Central investigative agencies.

Pathak said that all the nine leaders were involved in high level of corruption.

The SP media cell retaliated by tweeting that that Pathak was one of the 'most corrupt' ministers in the Yogi Adityanath government who resorts to 'extortion' in the name of conducting inspections of various hospitals and medical institutions.