'CO, SDM ko lagao pair dabane ke liye': Akhilesh Yadav mocks Yogi government over Kanwar Yatra row; says name display order to hide incompetence

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader Akhilesh Yadav on Sunday took a dig at the Yogi Adityanath-led Uttar Pradesh government, urging it to issue an order directing top officials to focus on food and health arrangements for Kanwar yatris walking during the holy month of Shravan. "They should, the Commissioner, DM and SP should be deployed to make food arrangements for the Kanwar yatris. CO and SDM ko lagao unke pair dabane ke liye (Deploy the CO and SDM to massage their feet). This will perhaps give them relief. This is our Vedic custom,” Yadav told reporters. He added that the government should officially assign District Magistrates and Superintendents of Police to manage food and health services, and the CO and SDM will serve them by massaging their feet." When asked about the recent government order asking all shops along the yatra route to display names of owners and staff, Yadav criticised the move. He accused the state of hiding its “incompetence” behind QR code-driven initiatives instead of providing basic infrastructure. “They should have built the corridor they kept talking about. Why didn’t they create proper facilities for the yatris? It was their duty to ensure rest areas and food for Kanwariyas. But instead, they are resorting to name boards and QR codes to shift attention,” he said.Tensions have grown following the directive for shopkeepers to display their names along the Kanwar yatra route.