Claim
The BJP is saying that this Krishna-avatar poster of Akhilesh Yadav is an insult to Sanatan Dharma.
“बीजेपी कह रही है साहब ये तो सनातन धर्म का अपमान हो गया। ये तो अपमान कर रहे हैं।”▶ Watch source segment
Rationale
The anchor's claim accurately reports the BJP's stated position. On July 1, 2026 (the day before the broadcast), Samajwadi Party workers in Varanasi displayed a poster showing Akhilesh Yadav as Lord Krishna holding the Constitution. BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi and other party voices publicly condemned it as an insult to religious beliefs/Sanatan Dharma and the sentiments of devotees, demanding a public apology. The claim attributes this characterization to the BJP rather than asserting it as fact, and that attribution matches contemporaneous wire and mainstream coverage.
Evidence
- https://www.deccanherald.com/india/on-akhileshs-birthday-samajwadi-party-workers-portray-him-as-lord-krishna-bjp-demands-apology-4058604 Deccan Herald, July 1, 2026: SP workers in Varanasi unveiled a poster depicting Akhilesh Yadav as Lord Krishna holding the Constitution on his 53rd birthday; BJP demanded an apology. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://apnlive.com/politics/akhilesh-yadav-lord-krishna-birthday-poster-bjp-apology/ APN Live, July 1, 2026: BJP spokesperson Rakesh Tripathi called the poster 'an insult to religious beliefs', said political figures should not be portrayed as Hindu deities, and demanded a public apology, warning of backlash for hurting devotees' sentiments. ✓ reachable · archived
- https://www.aajtak.in/uttar-pradesh/story/akhilesh-yadav-birthday-sp-workers-portray-him-as-lord-krishna-bjp-demands-apology-lclnt-dskc-2591882-2026-07-01 Aaj Tak (Hindi), July 1, 2026: BJP characterized the Krishna-avatar poster as an insult to Sanatan Dharma and the sentiments of crores of devotees, demanding a public apology from SP workers. ✓ reachable · archived