Hitting back at Modi over his dig at him, Akhilesh said said such statements were not required from BJP's PM candidate as the lions had been given to the state as "political courtesy."
"It's a political courtesy. He (Modi) has given us something and we too have returned in exchange," he said, adding Gujarat has publicised its handing over lions to UP.
"I have just named one animal (Gir lion) hyena," Akhilesh said in a veiled attack on Modi. "Tell us names of other animals and we shall give the names."
Akhilesh told reporters that the lions are presently at the Lucknow Zoo and will be kept at a Lion Safari spread across 3,000 acres in Etawah.
