Lucknow:
Akhilesh Yadav had challenged Yogi Adityanath to contest from Ayodhya. The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, in turn, urged his Samajwadi Party rival to also fight from Ayodhya, saying the two should settle the contest "face to face".
The All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, or AIMIM, chief Asaduddin Owaisi has another political play in mind for the two leaders. Urging the rivals to step out of their comfort zones, he suggested two different constituencies for the two heavyweight leaders.
"If both Akhilesh Yadav and the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh are so popular and liked, then the Chief Minister should come and contest from Sambhal, and Akhilesh should go and contest from Gorakhpur. God willing, the people and AIMIM will defeat them in both places," Owaisi, speaking in Hindi, told NDTV.
"Arey bahut bada maja aa jayega, lad le Sambhal toh, hum hara denge. Gorakhpur bhi lade, wahan bhi haar jayenge (Oh, it'll be a blast. Try and contest in Sambhal, we'll defeat you. We will defeat them in Gorakhpur also)," Owaisi said.
When asked if the BJP's "80-20" narrative would hold sway, Owaisi dismissed the discourse often cited by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, declaring that the real political battle in the state will be "99 vs 1."
"The real competition in the upcoming election will actually be '99 vs 1'. The 99% represents the poor citizens of Uttar Pradesh, while the 1% represents those who have captured 40% of India's wealth. So, the 80-20 scenario isn't going to play out; it will be a 99% versus 1% contest," Owaisi said.
When pointed out that the AIMIM has not performed well in the state, Owasi hit back saying, "So why are they having sleepless nights? Why is there a pain in their stomach? Let them sleep comfortably, why are they worried?"
"We will contest the election on our own and make our own party decisions; we will form alliances wherever possible," Owaisi said.
Earlier this month, Owaisi had offered to ally with the Samajwadi Party to prevent the BJP from returning to power in Uttar Pradesh for a third consecutive term.
Owaisi played down the criticism that he was attacking the Opposition and not countering the BJP as much, saying possibly "they have a hearing problem".
"If you are having trouble hearing well, I am neither a doctor nor an ENT specialist. We usually start by talking about the BJP and then address our opponents; if they feel uncomfortable with what we say, it suggests our arrows are hitting the mark," he said.
The key state in the Hindi heartland goes to polls early next year.
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