SP leader kicks up row; Adityanath hits out

Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav kicked up a controversy with his alleged remarks identifying the caste of Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, one of the women officers chosen by the Centre to brief on Operation Sindoor.

- HT Correspondent

MEERUT/LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party (SP) leader and Rajya Sabha MP Ram Gopal Yadav kicked up a controversy with his alleged remarks identifying the caste of Wing Commander Vyomika Singh, one of the women officers chosen by the Centre to brief on Operation Sindoor.

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath condemned the SP leader for viewing the armed forces through a "casteist" lens. A host of BJP leaders and ministers, including deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, hit out at Yadav for his remarks.

Speaking to reporters at the residence of SP MLA Haji Faheem Irfan in Moradabad on Thursday, Yadav, who is the national general secretary of the party, allegedly said that the operation, which targeted terror launch pads in Pakistan, was executed by a Muslim, a Dalit, and a Yadav, laying emphasis on their identities as PDA (Pichhda, Dalit, Alpsankhyak).