UP CM Akhilesh Yadav pulls strings to get news channels, Times Now and India News, off air across all cable TV networks in UP for criticizing the Samajwadi Party regime regime over the cultural extravaganza in Saifai and the MLAs' foreign jaunt, reports Rediff.com's Sharat Pradhan.

The UP CM had hit back at critics and defended his governments Saifai Mahotsav, saying the budget for the festival was around Rs 6-7crore and not Rs 300 crore as alleged by a section of the media.

Critical of a section of the media for running stories against the mahotsav, the chief minister claimed that the daily, which carried that the budget of the festival was Rs 300 crores, had called for an apology.