Samajwadi Party has demanded an unconditional apology from Bharatiya Janata Party MP from Gorakhpur, Ravi Kishen, for claiming in Lok Sabha on Tuesday that he was not given Yash Bharti Award by Akhilesh Yadav when the latter was the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh.

SP president and MP from Azamgarh, Akhilesh Yadav, on Tuesday had tabled a question whether the Central government would give pension to those awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan. Yadav had said that when he was chief minister of UP, his government had sanctioned a monthly pension of Rs 50,000 to all those awarded Yash Bharti by the Samajwadi Party government. He also said that BJP MP Ravi Kishen was also awarded Yash Bharti and a monthly pension of Rs 50,000. 

The BJP MP immediately contradicted Akhilesh Yadav, saying he neither got the Yash Bharti award nor the monthly pension of Rs 50,000.

SP spokesman Rajendra Chaudhary said in a statement here on Wednesday that the BJP had no respect for talented people achieving spectacular success in the field of art, culture and sports. He said the BJP had respect only for a handful of people from the corporate world. Chaudhary said the BJP government at the Centre did not respond to the question of Akhilesh Yadav whether the Union government would give pension and other benefits to those awarded Padma Shri and Padma Bhushan.

The SP leader said Akhilesh Yadav as chief minister had sanctioned a monthly pension of Rs 50,000 for those awarded Yash Bharti but the BJP government scrapped the scheme the day it assumed office in Uttar Pradesh. He said the SP chief, by raising the question of pension for the awardees of Padma Bhushan and Padma Shri, only expressed his sensitivity towards the people of art and culture. He said the SP president favoured pension for those conferred Arjuna, Dronacharya awards and those who won medals in Olympic Games, Commonwealth Games and national tournaments and games.