UP's two sons would make India's politics all about love, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said on Wednesday to signal his camaraderie with Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav. Gandhi's witty take, recalling the "mohabbat ki dukaan" tagline from his pan-India yatras and the Lok Sabha election campaign, came in response to Yadav's greeting on his 54th birthday. Responding to Yadav's wish, Gandhi said, "UP ke do ladke Hindustan ki rajneeti ko mohabbat ki dukaan banayenge -- khata-khat, khata-khat (loosely translating to two boys of UP will make India's politics all about love)".

"UP ke do ladke" was a tagline used to underline the coming together of Yadav and Gandhi in the 2017 Uttar Pradesh assembly polls when the two parties had joined hands. However, in those elections, the alliance failed miserably and the BJP came to power in the state. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had also taken a dig at Gandhi and Yadav during the Lok Sabha election campaign. Without naming Gandhi and Yadav, the prime minister had said, "You might remember here in Uttar Pradesh that the film featuring two boys ('do ladke'), which had flopped last time, the film of the two boys has been re-released by these people."