As a prequel to the forthcoming 10 crucial assembly byelections in Uttar Pradesh, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav are presently engaged in a war of words to build up the tempo for electioneering by both parties. On Wednesday, Yogi distributed job letters to youths in Lucknow and Prayagraj, while Akhilesh Yadav addressed a meeting of his party workers in Lucknow. Firing the first salvo, Akhilesh Yadav alleged that all sections of society in UP are facing problems, while lakhs of unemployed youths are staring at a bleak future. He claimed that BJP would be wiped out in 2027 assembly elections, after which “bulldozers under our party’s rule will be sent to Gorakhpur”. Yogi did not spend much time in responding. He identified four topics: bulldozer, economic situation, PDA (backwards, Dalit and minorities) and Akhilesh’s claim to return to power in 2027. Yogi said, Akhilesh is daydreaming on the lines of ‘Mungeri Lal Ke Haseen Sapney’, and it’s not going to happen. Yogi alleged that during Akhilesh’s rule, youths from backward castes and Dalit communities were not given government jobs, and both ‘Chacha-Bhatija’ were busy in extortion. Yogi went to the extent of comparing Akhilesh Yadav’s clan with the ‘pack of wolves on the rampage in Bahraich’. Akhilesh Yadav responded by saying that Yogi is suffering from depression due to reverses in Lok Sabha elections and ‘he may lose his chair anytime’. On bulldozer issue, Yogi Adityanath said, his government used bulldozers to raze illegal properties by following rules. “One needs strong political will and courage to order bulldozers to raze illegal properties…those who bowed before rioters and mafia gangsters can never order bulldozers to raze ”, Yogi said. Akhilesh Yadav pointed out to recent Supreme Court observations on misuse of bulldozers, and alleged that BJP was taking political revenge against rivals by using bulldozers. “Do not forget, people can give the steering of bulldozers to some other parties tomorrow”, Yadav said. In Prayagraj, while giving away loan approval letters worth Rs 600 crore to youths, Yogi said, “it is because of our bulldozer model that there has not been a single major riot in UP till now.” In response, Akhilesh Yadav wrote on social media, “If your bulldozer model is successful, then why don’t you form a separate party with bulldozer as your model and contest elections? Your delusion and ego will crash. Today, your presence in BJP is almost nil and sooner than later, you’ll have to form a new party.” There is a story behind each of the remarks made by both Yogi and Akhilesh Yadav. When Yogi says ‘Tipu’, it refers to Akhilesh’s pet name given by his father, Mulayam Singh Yadav. When Akhilesh says ‘Bulldozer Baba’, it refers to Yogi Adityanath, because people in UP call their CM by this name. When Akhilesh speaks about sending bulldozers to Gorakhpur, it means, Yogi’s Gorakhnath Math. When Akhilesh says ‘Yogi may lose his chair’, he is referring to reported internal squabbles in UP BJP. And when Yogi says, ‘Chacha-Bhatija’, it refers to Shivpal Singh Yadav and his nephew Akhilesh. The war of words is going to assume strident tones in the coming days, once the schedule for 10 assembly byelections is declared. Both Yogi and Akhilesh are out to prove their political supremacy in Uttar Pradesh.