Akhilesh Yadav will turn old but never return to power, said Tourism and Culture Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Jaiveer Singh, on Friday, reacting to the Samajwadi Party chief’s alleged jibe at Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak.

The ex-CM has alleged that both the deputy chief ministers of UP have been eyeing an opportunity to become CM, but have “failed”. Addressing a public rally supporting party candidate Asim Raza in Rampur ahead of the bypolls, Akhilesh Yadav said: “There are two Deputy CMs in the state. Both of them are looking for an opportunity to become CM. We have come to give them an offer.”

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“Take 100 MLAs from us, we are with you, become CM whenever you want,” the SP chief offered Maurya and Pathak.

He also said the BJP government of the state should not be so harsh on the opposition party believing it would become “vindictive” when it returns to power.

Reacting to the SP leader’s statements during an election campaign, Jaiveer Singh mocked Akhilesh Yadav for having fallen on hard times.

Singh reminded the voters how the SP chief acted during the UP Assembly polls in February-March. Speaking in Hindi, Singh said: “He (Akhilesh) felt like the Chief Minister during the assembly elections. The entire state heard his ‘Ae police’.

“He is doing the same thing and I think that when hard times befall, one’s actions are affected. Akhilesh will turn old but never return to power,” said Jaiveer Singh.

“Things will only change if he (Akhilesh) manages to get closer to power,” Singh said.

The Tourism Minister also attacked Shivpal Yadav for his “dog who pulls the cart” statement on Bharatiya Janata Party’s candidate Raghuraj Singh Shakya.

The Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party leader, who is the SP chief’s uncle, has been regularly targeting Shakya, who is pitted against Dimple Yadav (Akhilesh Yadav’s wife) from the SP stronghold Mainpuri which fell vacant on October 10 following the death of party founder Mulayam Singh Yadav.

The State Minister called the remarks “inappropriate” and said that people will give a befitting response to it on December 5.

“People are very much upset with his (Shivpal Yadav’s) remarks. His own party people called it ‘inappropriate’. No language can be more condemnable than this,” Jaiveer Singh said.

Both the Rampur and Mainpuri constituencies will go to polls on December 5 and the results will be declared on December 8, the day which coincides with the counting dates of the Himachal Pradesh and Gujarat Assembly elections.