Thursday, 24 April 2025
Thursday, 24 April 2025
The verbal attacks on Rahul Gandhi had died down for a bit, but Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath has set the ball rolling once again.
Adityanath launched an attack on the Congress leader and Leader of Opposition Rahul Gandhi, calling him a "namuna".
In an interview with ANI, Adityanath criticised Gandhi’s Bharat Jodo Yatra, branding it a “Bharat Todo Abhiyan” and accusing the Congress leader of working against India’s interests.
"He criticises India outside India. The country has understood his nature and intentions. In India's politics, Bharatiya Janata Party ke liye Rahul jaise kuch namune rehne chahiye jisse ek rasta hamesha ke liye saaf hota rahe aur acha rahe," Adityanath said.
The comment triggered strong reactions from Opposition leaders.
Sukhdeo Bhagat slams BJP's political ethics
Congress MP Sukhdeo Bhagat questioned the BJP’s political ethics. "I think be it Yogi Adityanath or senior leaders of the BJP, they do not have culture. I think the choice of such words reflects their political bankruptcy...I take pity on his thinking that he is saying this for a Leader of Opposition. He has not insulted Rahul Gandhi but an LoP and the entire Parliament," Bhagat stated.
Manoj Jha flags 'matter of concern'
RJD MP Manoj Jha also criticised the UP CM. "His philosophy is very narrow. He has no concern with the Constitution and its essence...It is a matter of concern for democracy that such people are sitting on dignified positions," he said.
Congress MP Pramod Tiwari condemned the statement. "I condemn it. He should avoid using such words for any leader," he said.
Yogi intensifies Hindu-Muslim safety debate
In the same interview, Adityanath claimed that people from all religions, including Muslims, are safe in Uttar Pradesh. He argued that Muslim safety is tied to Hindu safety.
"A Muslim family is the safest among 100 Hindu families. They will have the freedom to practise all religious customs. But can 50 Hindus be safe among 100 Muslim families? No. Bangladesh is an example. Before this, Pakistan was an example. What happened in Afghanistan? If there is smoke or someone is being hit, we should be careful before we get hit. That is what needs to be taken care of," Adityanath said.
The UP CM stated that Uttar Pradesh has not witnessed any communal riots since the BJP came to power in 2017.
"In Uttar Pradesh, Muslims are the safest. If Hindus are safe, then they are also safe. If there were riots in UP before 2017, if Hindu shops were burning, then Muslim shops were also burning. If Hindu houses were burning, then Muslim houses were also burning. And after 2017, the riots stopped," Adityanath added.
Opposition leaders were quick to challenge Adityanath’s claims.
Awadhesh Prasad dismisses Yogi's remark
Samajwadi Party MP Awadhesh Prasad dismissed the CM’s remarks, saying, "The truth is that neither Hindus nor Muslims and our daughters are safe in Uttar Pradesh since Yogi baba's government came to power...Bulldozer has been used to destroy houses of Muslims only, and such action is completely unconstitutional. To hide their shortcomings, they have been raising Hindu-Muslim issues."
Ajay Kumar Lallu wants BJP to 'focus on governance'
Congress leader Ajay Kumar Lallu accused the BJP of failing to focus on governance.
"Yogi Adityanath has no other agenda except Hindu-Muslim to talk about. They should show at least one development work done by them in the state. As per NCRB data, UP is number one in crimes, particularly crimes against women. There is also the issue of unemployment," Lallu said.
Saugata Roy's communal politics jibe
TMC MP Saugata Roy accused Adityanath of communal politics.
"Yogi Adityanath is communal. He wants to demolish mosques to build temples. We want to oppose leaders like Yogi Adityanath...This (his statement) is not correct. What happened in Sambhal? Didn't a riot break out there recently?" Roy asked.
Dimple Yadav doesn't spare UP CM
Samajwadi Party MP Dimple Yadav argued that the BJP uses communal rhetoric to divert attention from governance failures.
"If you see the development work done in Uttar Pradesh in the last 8 years, you will understand the real situation that exists now...Digging old graves has become the policy of the BJP. They (BJP leaders) make such statements to deflect attention from the real issues of inflation, unemployment, education facilities and others," Yadav said.
Ramji Lal Suman defends 'ganga-jamuni' culture
Samajwadi Party MP Ramji Lal Suman said, "Our Ganga–Jamuni culture is being destroyed. Yogi Adityanath should learn that every religion spreads the message of love, not confrontation. Here, who is the one digging old graves?"
Ravidas Mehrotra spotlights 'jungle raj by goons'
Samajwadi Party Ravidas Mehrotra said, "UP CM Yogi Adityanath should have said that people of the state are safe. Today, though no sister and daughter is safe, there is jungle raj by goons in the state...criminals have become fearless, and people are in fear. But, the CM of the state is doing Hindu-Muslim. Samajwadi Party wants the state to be safe. When Samajwadi Party's govt is formed in UP in 2027, the state will become safer."
