The Samajwadi Party and Congress took a dig at Rashtriya Lok Dal (RLD) chief Jayant Chaudhary after he was spotted sitting on the benches of the Samvidhan Sadan during the NDA parliamentary meeting, unlike other leaders of the alliance who were seated on the dais.
Visuals from the Parliamentary meet of NDA meeting showed several National Democratic Alliance (NDA) partners, including TDP chief Chandrababu Naidu, JD(U) supremo Nitish Kumar, LJP(R) chief Chirag Paswan, and others seated on the stage with PM-elect Narendra Modi, while Jayant Chaudhary could be seen sitting with other BJP leaders in front of the stage.
The NDA meeting took place on Friday to formally elect PM-elect Narendra Modi as the leader of the alliance for him to be able to take oath as Prime Minister on June 9 for the third straight term.
The Samajwadi Party was quick to notice Jayant Chaudhary's seat and took a jibe at the RLD chief and the BJ. Samajwadi Party MP Rajeev Rai said, "Not giving him [Jayant Chaudhary] a seat on stage is an insult to the leader who is the grandson of the greatest leader of the farmers, Chaudhary sahib. BJP is the same party that calls farmers terrorists and traitors. If Jayant Chaudhary is concerned about the respect of the farmers and his own self-respect, he should not tolerate this insult."
Reacting to the jibe, RLD said it was "not a big deal".
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SP leader Rajeev Rai also invited Jayant Chaudhary to return to the INDIA bloc, saying he is "respected a lot in the Samajwadi Party".
"He is respected a lot in the Samajwadi Party. He should leave there [NDA] for his own self-respect and the respect of the farmers. The INDIA alliance is welcoming everyone who wants to come. Whoever goes to Akhilesh Yadav is welcomed with open arms," India Today quoted Rai as saying.
Uttar Pradesh Congress chief Ajay Rai accused the BJP of "humiliating and disrespecting" its allies.
"Whoever goes there [to the BJP], this is what will happen to them. When someone joins their party, they are given bouquets and large garlands, but after accepting them, they are humiliated and disrespected," the report quoted Ajay Rai as saying.
Responding to the remarks made by Samajwadi Party and the Congress, RLD MLA Anil Kumar said it is not a big deal whether one sits above or below.
"When has INDIA bloc given us respect? Whether one sits above or below is not a big deal. One should do politics with a broad mind. One should not think about small matters. RLD is a main constituent party of the NDA and will remain with it," Kumar said.
Rashtriya Lok Dal leader, Malook Nagar, also reacted and said: "Chaudhary Jayant Singh is the grandson of Chaudhary Charan Singh...Where he [Jayant Singh] sits, that doesn't affect him...He is a grounded leader...PM Modi and Home Minister Amit Shah love Jayant Chaudhary...A mistake would have taken place...They [PM Modi and Amit Shah] will take care of everything..."
