Akhilesh cautions Rahul Gandhi over hug-diplomacy

Lucknow : Former Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav on Saturday sought to caution Congress president Rahul Gandhi against his controversial hug-diplomacy wherein he had embraced Prime Minister Narendra Modi after speaking on the no-confidence motion in the Lok Sabha on Friday.

In a tweet from his official Twitter account, the Samajwadi Party (SP) chief referred to a famous Urdu couplet penned by late poet Bashir Badr: Koi haath bhi na milayega, jo gale miloge tapaak se, ye naye mijaaz ka shahar hai, zara fasle se mila karo (If you promptly embrace someone, he will not even shake hands, this is a city of new ways, be careful and keep a distance while meeting someone).

The Congress and SP chiefs, despite a failed and unsuccessful electoral tie-up in the 2017 UP assembly elections have displayed camaraderie. The latest tweet is also seen in political circles as an advice from a prospective ally who disapproves of a sudden gesture by Gandhi to Modi.