Pandey fondly reminisced about SP’s governance era. ‘No scandals, just progress. We delivered world-class infrastructure—expressways, metros, roads, and courts—all without burning through taxpayer money.’ In stark contrast, he lambasted the BJP for announcing grandiose budgets that gather dust, with zero execution on the ground.

Aligning with Akhilesh Yadav, Pandey rubbished Rambhadracharya’s influence. ‘We once quashed a cheating case against him to prevent imprisonment. Now aligned with the rulers, his opinions are irrelevant.’ The spat intensified over the Shankaracharya case, with Akhilesh decrying the revival of a two-decade-old complaint by a disciple of Rambhadracharya as political vendetta.

‘They’re scraping the barrel to discredit saints amid ideological clashes,’ Akhilesh had said, regretting his past leniency. Pandey reinforced this narrative, positioning the BJP’s actions as a sign of a crumbling regime desperate to cling to power. With elections looming, this verbal showdown underscores deepening political divides in India’s most populous state.