Lucknow, Nov 15 (IANS) Generally reluctant to take on arch-rival and predecessor Bahujan Samaj Party (BSP) chief Mayawati in the public realm, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav Thursday took a jibe at the Dalit leader accusing her of defaming the government as she had ran out of issues.

Referring to her statement in New Delhi a few days ago, after her dinner meeting with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh, Yadav - without naming Mayawati - said: "There are some leaders who after eating food don't fail to talk ill about the UP government."

"Even I had broken bread with the prime minister earlier in the day but I do not know what she ate that she spoke on her view of failing law and order in the state," the chief minister joked.

He went a step further and took more potshots and said that thankfully the food was vegetarian and feared what Mayawati would have said had she had non-vegetarian fare at the prime minister's residence.

The Samajwadi party (SP) with 22 MPs and BSP with 21 are crucial for the survival of UPA-II after the withdrawal of the Trinamool Congress.

The prime minister had recently hosted SP chief Mulayam Singh Yadav and son Akhilesh and the BSP chief separately over food.