Responding to Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s “Pigs, Vultures” remarks, Samajwadi Party (SP) Chief Akhilesh Yadav hit back and questioned who the Chief Minister was insulting with his “Giddh” (vulture) remark.

Speaking to reporters in Kannauj, Akhilesh Yadav asked, “…Who was he (UP CM Yogi Adityanath) insulting through his ‘Giddh’ remark? The people who were looking for the missing members of their families?… He is speaking of ‘suar’. None of us said that the quality of water of river Ganga is bad, Central Pollution Control Board said that…So, who was the govt calling ‘Suar’?

He further added, “I think, in the fight between Delhi and Lucknow, they are abusing each other. If the Uttar Pradesh Pollution Board is saying that the water is clean and Delhi’s Pollution Board says that the water is bad, it means ‘Lucknow’ was calling ‘Delhi’ “Suar.”

On Monday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath strongly defended the arrangements for the Maha Kumbh and criticised the opposition, especially the Samajwadi Party.

He said, “Anti-Sanatan people only set their eyes on the dirt. One got what one had pursued in the Maha Kumbh. Vultures only got dead bodies. Pigs got dirt. Sensitive people got a beautiful picture of relationships, devotees got blessings.”

Meanwhile, Chief Minister Yogi on Tuesday lashed out at the SP and stated that the party had left no stone unturned to defame Prayagraj.

Speaking in the State Assembly during the UP budget session, the Chief Minister said, “They (Samajwadi Party) left no stone unturned to defame Prayagraj. You were spreading propaganda about Prayagraj… As someone has rightly said, ‘Jiski jaisi drishti waisi uski srishti’… They were finding ways to defame Prayagraj. Some people were saying in Parliament that thousands of people have died in Maha Kumbh but 28,000 people were reunited with their families during Maha Kumbh.”

Devotees continue to arrive in large numbers at the Triveni Sangam in Prayagraj to participate in the ongoing Maha Kumbh ahead of the Mahashivratri celebrations on Wednesday. The Mela, which has witnessed a historic turnout, will continue until February 26.

(Except for the headline, this story has not been edited by NDTV staff and is published from a syndicated feed.)