RLD Chief Jayant Attacks HM Shah On "Hema Malini Jibe"

Mr. Chaudhary said, "I don't want to be Hema Malini"

Ahead of the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls, Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary, has controversially claimed that his party leader was told by senior BJP leader and Union Home Minister Amit Shah, "I will make you Hema Malini if you join."

Jayant Chaudhary, who has snubbed overtures made by the BJP more than once, made the comments while campaigning on Tuesday for the Uttar Pradesh election starting February 10.

While referring to his party leader on stage with him, the RLD chief said, "Yogesh (Nauhwar) was saying he was told by Amit Shah -- Yogesh, join us. I will make you Hema Malini." 

His audience laughed and clapped at his reference to the actor-politician, who is a BJP MP from Mathura.

Mr. Chaudhary also added, "I don't know what all they keep saying about me...Not that they have any love or feeling for me. I tell them -- 'What will you get by appeasing me? I don't want to be Hema Malini? What will you do for the people? What have you done for the families of the seven farmers? Why is Ajay Mishra Teni still a minister?"

Talking about the Lakhimpur Kheri incident, the RLD chief said Union Minister Ajay Mishra Teni's son Ashish Mishra is in jail over allegations that he ran over farmers during a protest at Lakhimpur Kheri in October. Despite opposition demands for his sacking, Mr Mishra has held on to his position in Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government.

In the upcoming election, Jayant Chaudhary's RLD is partnering with Akhilesh Yadav's Samajwadi Party in the UP election. The Jat leader has a significant hold over western UP, especially because he has been championing the cause of farmers, an important voting bloc in the region.

Recently, On Jan 26, the Union Home Minister Shah held an election meeting in the national capital where he met with Jat community leaders, who had said that the BJP's doors would always be open for the RLD. Later, at a public meeting, the Home Minister also said that Akhilesh Yadav would dump Mr. Chaudhary as soon as the elections were over.

Jayant Chaudhary has ruled out any alliance with the BJP, commenting sharply that he is not a "chavvani" (25 p coin) that he will flip so easily.