Etawah lions will now live in Gorakhpur: Akhilesh

Lucknow: Taking a jibe at UP government’s decision to shift a pair of lions from Etawah Safari to Gorakhpur zoo, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav said: “Etawah ke sher ab Gorakphur mein rahenge (Etawah lions will now live in Gorakhpur)”. He went on to add that the lions will have to be fed properly else they would come out of their enclosure.
Akhilesh’s statement is being seen in the light of the fact that Etawah is the bastion of SP’s first family and Gorakhpur happens to be the home district of CM Yogi Adityanath.
“The chief minister has ordered for shifting of two lions from Eatwah Lion Safari to Gorakhpur zoo. The animals that are used to living in open and jungle will be caged. Probably the chief minister is not aware of the difference between a Safari and a zoo,” he said responding to a query at an event organised by a private news channel in Lucknow on Monday. When Akhilesh said that lions from Etawah will live in Gorakhpur, he was reminded that they would be caged in the Gorakhopur zoo. “They will have to be fed properly … else anyone can imagine what will happen if they come out of the cage,” he said. Earlier in the day, Akhilesh had questioned the government’s decision to shift the lions from Etawah safari on grounds that it will take its toll on the tourists visiting the Safari and thereby take its toll on the livelihood of the people who rely on these tourists.
Speaking at the event, SP chief lambasted the ruling BJP for raising questions over his visits to temples. “I have never publicised how religious I am. I never publicised that as chief minister I got a temple made inside the chief ministers’ residence … but if I visit a temple the BJP raises a hue and cry …. BJP naqli Hindu hai … (BJP is fake Hindu),” he said.
The government has failed to clear the dues of sugarcane growers. When farmers talk of MSP for paddy, the chief minister talks of black carrot cultivation. When Punjab farmers talk of MSP, the chief minister talks of strawberry cultivation …. How can anyone compare the two products?” he asked.