Ahead of 2017 legislative assembly elections, Akhilesh Yadav, the then CM of Uttar Pradesh and Rahul Gandhi, the then MP from Amethi, Uttar Pradesh, like to refer to themselves as 'UP Ke Ladke' as campaign slogan
Speaking on the floor of the Legislative Assembly, the Chief Minister came down heavily on the "liberals" and the leaders of the opposition parties for glorifying the Taliban, a radical outfit that tramples on the basic rights of women and children.
Samajwadi Party MP Shafiqur Rehman Barq had on August 16 hailed the Taliban and likened them to the freedom fighters who fought for India’s independence
While the party's official Twitter handle shared videos and photographs as show of strength, friendly journalist Rohini Singh of The Wire, questioned 'Noida channels' for not giving enough airtime to the party led by Akhilesh Yadav.