Bareilly: Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on Tuesdya attacked Congress vice president Rahul Gandhi and Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, saying they have begun to remember God "in tough times".
Maurya claimed the two parties and the Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) have joined hands to humiliate the ruling BJP and have nothing to do with development and law and order.
"Rahul Gandhi is now pretending to be a Hindu, while Akhilesh Yadav, who has been rejected by the majority is now remembering God in tough times," Maurya told reporters.
"The parties which ignore the majority gradually cease to exist. Hence, they have no other option but to remember Lord Ram and Lord Krishna. Apart from this, they are also uttering the name of Lord Shiva and Goddess Bhagwati," he said.
He also said SP leaders were "now remembering Lord Krishna, and soon they will start uttering the name of Lord Ram".
Akhilesh Yadav is reportedly set to unveil a 50-feet tall, 60-tonne bronze statue of Lord Krishna in his hometown Saifai early next year.
Maurya said the Lok Sabha and Assembly polls are proof that a majority of people reposed their faith in Lord Ram and Lord Krishna.
Gandhi, during his extensive election campaign in Gujarat, said yesterday that he was a devotee of Lord Shiva.
The Congress vice president has visited a number of temples during the campaign. He prayed at the Dwarkadhish Temple in September, on Monday he visited the Veer Meghmaya in Patan, Khodiyar Maa in Varana and Maa Bahuchar at Becharaji in Mehsana district.
In wake of the temple visits, the Congress party has been accused of playing a soft Hindutva card. "I am a devotee of Lord Shiva. Let them say whatever they want to say. My truth is with me," Gandhi said yesterday when he was asked about BJP's criticism of his temple visits.
