Bahujan Samaj Party supremo Mayawati on Tuesday received support from unexpected quarters on the issue of covering elephant statues in poll bound UP with Gujarat chief minister Narendra Modi terming the decision as 'ridiculous'.
The Election Commission has recently got all the elephant statues installed by the Mayawati government covered during the campaigning in that state.
"The Centre makes bravery-award winning children sit on elephants during the January 26 parade. Doesn't that violate model code of conduct?" Modi said in the micro-blogging site Twitter on Tuesday without naming the Election Commission.
"Will Congress ask for elephants to be removed? What will happen to Live TV coverage? So ridiculous...", the chief minister said.
The Election Commission had ordered to cover elephant statues in UP installed by the BSP leader at various places and which is an election symbol of BSP, following objections by parties like the Congress and the Samajwadi Party.
UP chief minister Mayawati had slammed the Commission by saying, "people will consider this decision taken with an anti-dalit and casteist mentality and under pressure from the Congress-led government at the Centre".
Incidentally, Mayawati, had campaigned for Gujarat Chief Minister Narendra Modi during the 2002 state polls after the post-Godhra riots. Mayawati was supporting NDA at that time.
Modi's gesture to Mayawati comes after his recent visit to Chennai where senior BJP leader L K Advani had called All India Anna Dravida Munnetra Kazhagam headed by Tamil Nadu chief minister J Jayalalithaa a 'natural ally'.