Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav were involved in a heated exchange on Wednesday over bulldozer ‘politics’ in the state.

Samajwadi Party President Akhilesh Yadav hit back at Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ‘bulldozer’ statement. Replying to CM Adityanath’s statement, the SP president said a bulldozer does not have a brain, it moves through steering and no one knows when the public will change the steering.

He sarcastically said that no one knows when Delhiites will change the steering.

Earlier, Akhilesh Yadav had criticised Yogi Adityanath’s use of bulldozers in governance and vowed to redirect them to Gorakhpur after the 2027 elections if the Samajwadi Party wins the polls.

In retaliation, Chief Minister Adityanath said that not everyone’s hand can fit on a bulldozer. This requires both ‘dil’ (heart) and ‘dimaag’ (mind). He said that only the one who has the capability and determination to drive a bulldozer can drive it.

Speaking in a programme organised for the distribution of appointment letters to Junior Engineers, Foreman and Computer operators selected by UP Subordinate Services Selection Commission, he also took a personal jab at Yadav, referring to his nickname ‘Tipu’ and suggesting that he is now trying to become a ‘Sultan’.

Addressing reporters, Akhilesh Yadav said that the way the court has operated the bulldozer, the bulldozer cannot operate now. He said the people who used to scare others with bulldozers, used to demolish people’s houses in various places, is the map of the Chief Minister’s residence approved?

”Tell us when it was passed, show the papers. You deliberately ran the bulldozer on those from whom you wanted to take revenge, to humiliate them…Yesterday the Supreme Court said that a bulldozer cannot be used. So will the government apologise for the bulldozer operation that was going on till now or not? ”

He further said as far as heart and mind are concerned, ”I just want to say that there is no brain in a bulldozer, it is run by the steering. The people of Uttar Pradesh can change the steering of someone’s bulldozer…”

On the fresh merit list of 69,000 teacher recruitment and agitation by the youths, Akhilesh Yadav commented that if anyone is most worried at this time, it is the teachers. “The High Court has cancelled the list and now the government is conspiring against them,” he alleged.