BJP terms Akhilesh and Mayawati's upcoming visit to Karnataka as 'political tourism', says they don't have any base in state

Lucknow: Taking a dig at the Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party, spokesperson of the BJP’s Uttar Pradesh unit Rakesh Tripathi has termed the proposed visits of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati to poll-bound Karnataka as “political tourism”. He, however, claimed that BJP workers and people in Karnataka want to have a glimpse of Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath and his campaigning in different poll-bound states of the country is benefiting the party. [caption id=“attachment_3221694” align=“alignleft” width=“380”] File image of Akhilesh Yadav and Mayawati. PTI[/caption] Alleging that both the SP and the BSP “thrive on caste politics”, Tripathi said, “The election tours made to Karnataka by Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and BSP supremo Mayawati are simply political tourism.” “The main base and origin of both these parties is Uttar Pradesh. But in this state, their condition is miserable. Both of them are facing the worst times since their inception. They do not have any party organisation, base and mandate in Karnataka,” he was quoted as saying in a statement. The state BJP spokesperson claimed that the founding members of the BSP were deserting the party which is finding it tough to preserve its status as a national party. Hitting out at the Samajwadi party, Tripathi said, “Ever since Akhilesh Yadav replaced his father (Mulayam Singh Yadav) as the Samajwadi Party president, the party has been weakened.” “Samajwadi Party is a regional party. In Karnataka, it does not have any organisational structure. The tour of Akhilesh Yadav to Karnataka will prove to be a flop show like the one to Gujarat,” the BJP leader said. He claimed that Yogi Adityanath influenced the entire country after becoming the chief minister. “This is the reason that there has been a continuous demand from various poll-bound states for Adityanath to campaign for BJP candidates,” Tripathi said. According to BJP sources, Adityanath will be seen in action, addressing as many as 35 rallies and road shows that the saffron party has organised for him as the Nath sect, to which he belongs, wields considerable clout in coastal Karnataka. As per the party’s plans, the chief minister’s hectic Karnataka tour will begin on 3 May and he will be there holding rallies daily between 7 to 10 May, BJP spokesperson Shalabh Mani Tripathi told PTI. BSP supremo Mayawati, whose party has entered into a pact with former prime minister HD Deve Gowda’s JD(S), has already started working in the state with her rallies starting 25 April from Mysuru. She will be addressing a rally in Chitradurga on Saturday and Belagavi and Bidar on 5-6 May respectively. The BSP is contesting on 20 seats in Karnataka and is hoping to open an account there with the JD(S) support. Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav will also be touring the state to champion his party’s cause in those constituencies where Samajwadi Party candidate is in the fray. According to a party spokesperson, the Samajwadi Party has fielded over two dozen candidates in Karnataka. Polling in Karnataka will be held in a single phase on 12 May for all the 224 Assembly seats in the Congress-ruled state, including 36 reserved for the Scheduled Castes and 15 for the Scheduled Tribes.