‘Insult to Uttarakhand people’: BJP slams Akhilesh Yadav’s ‘ghuspaithiya’ remark

The BJP has strongly criticized Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav for remarks allegedly calling "biggest infiltrators in Uttar Pradesh are from Uttarakhand". In response, Uttarakhand Chief Minister Pushkar Singh Dhami demanded an apology from Yadav, accusing him of insulting the people of Uttarakhand. The controversy arose when Yadav, speaking to reporters in Lucknow, said: “…sabse bade ghuspaithiya UP me kaun hai?

Uttarakhand ke… to ghuspaithiya define karna padega (Who is the biggest infiltrator in UP? …from Uttarakhand… Then we have to define infiltrator).”

Initially, the Samajwadi Party claimed that Yadav was referring to an individual, but Dhami called the remark an insult to Uttarakhand's people and sought an answer from the Congress, the SP's ally in the INDIA bloc. The Congress, the main opposition party in Uttarakhand, maintains that they do not agree with Yadav's statements.

Akhilesh Yadav's spokesperson, Rajendra Chaudhary, stated that Yadav has repeatedly expressed an emotional connection with Uttarakhand and that his remarks were directed at an individual rather than the whole state. Dhami, however, highlighted that it is not the first time that Akhilesh has insulted Uttarakhand, citing the firing of bullets on agitators demanding a separate state during his father Mulayam Singh Yadav's leadership.

He demanded a public apology from Yadav and warned that the people of Uttarakhand would respond accordingly in the upcoming 2027 Assembly elections. The Uttarakhand BJP spokesperson, Vinod Chamoli, condemned Yadav's remarks, suggesting that the anti-Uttarakhand sentiment present during Mulayam Singh Yadav's regime still exists under Akhilesh and is supported by Congress leader Rahul Gandhi.