News Analysis India

Tag: Yogi Adityanath

  • Ex-BJP MLA Ram Iqbal Singh says Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath will become ‘sadhu’ if loses election

    By PTI

    BALLIA: BJP state executive member and former MLA Ram Iqbal Singh on Wednesday took a dig at Yogi Adityanath, suggesting that if he is removed from the post of chief minister, he will go back to being a monk.

    “I cannot call ‘tezaab’ (acid) ‘amrit’ (nectar),” he said, apparently referring to the CM who is also the head priest of the Gorakhnath Temple in Gorakhpur.

    “If Yogi Adityanath is removed from the chief minister’s post, he will immediately become angry and become a sadhu,” Singh said in Nagra area.

    He also targeted the Narendra Modi government over the plight of the farmers saying the cost of farming has increased a lot because of inflation.

    Singh praised Suhaldev Bharatiya Samaj Party President Om Prakash Rajbhar, and called him “the sole leader of the Rajbhar community.

    Singh has been critical of the BJP government in the state and has in the past raised questions over its functioning during Covid-19 pandemic.

    He had also accused BJP Union Minister Ajay Mishra’s son Ashish Mishra of running over farmers in Lakhimpur Kheri incident last month.

  • Opposition parties patronising cow slaughter, cattle smuggling: Yogi Adityanath

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday blamed the previous regimes for patronizing the illegal slaughterhouses and letting the cow slaughter and cattle smuggling continue unchecked in the state.

    “Cow smuggling has always been a major issue in Uttar Pradesh as ‘gau-taskari aur avaidh bucharkhane toh pichhli sarkaron ki pehchan thi’ (cattle smuggling and illegal slaughterhouses used to be the hallmarks of previous governments). When we came, all illegal slaughterhouses were closed to restrict cattle smuggling completely. We worked for cow protection,” said CM Yogi while addressing a public rally after inaugurating 50 projects worth Rs 1,118 crore and laying the foundation of over 146 projects worth Rs 211 crore in Baduan on Tuesday.

    Continuing his tirade against the opposition, especially, the Samajwadi Party without taking the name, CM Yogi brought the issue of communal riots during festivals and law and order situations under previous regimes into his discourse. “There used to be frequent riots during the festivals. People were not free to celebrate their festivals as per their wishes as curfew used to be imposed before all festivals. But the state has not witnessed even a single riot during the last four and a half years,” he said.

    He added that the situation had changed for good now. “Be it Diwali, Dhanteras, or Bhaiya Dooj, it is celebrated in every district in a peaceful manner and with gaiety. Before 2017, even though there was no pandemic, there used to be a curfew. ‘Aastha par kutharaghat hota tha (the faith used to be trampled)’. Moreover, if anyone used to raise voice against such elements, false cases were filed against him,” he added.

    ALSO READ | 2022 UP polls: Akhilesh threatens stir, says EC deleted details of 16 lakh voters from  list 

    Yogi claimed that during the pandemic, the opposition leaders confined themselves to the safety of their homes. However, Yogi said, he along with the public representatives and Covid warriors were out to strengthen the system in the state. “They were limited to Twitter only. When they were busy on Twitter during the pandemic, they must get an answer on Twitter only in the upcoming elections,” CM Yogi said while taking a jibe on the opposition.

    Yogi further said that while the erstwhile governments of Uttar Pradesh considered their families to be the state, for him, the state was his family. “Their only agenda was to buy a property, an island abroad,” he added.

    “Earlier, if there were vacancies in the state, the whole family used to go out on the recovery. The family reminds us of Mahabharat- ‘koi chacha, koi bhatija, koi mama, koi babua’. Our government gave 4.5 lakh jobs and no one can raise a question on the recruitment process,” he asserted. 

    Discussing his government’s policy of zero-tolerance against crimes and criminals, the CM said UP had emerged as a riot-free, crime-free state. At the same time, UP has also set an example in taking action against the organised crime syndicates, mafia who grew under the protection of power earlier.

    He announced that the extension of the free ration distribution scheme till Holi saying: “Under the free ration scheme, 35kg of food grains, 1kg of pulses, 1kg of cooking oil, 1kg of sugar, and 1kg of salt shall be given, depending on the number of family members.”

    He also highlighted the measure taken in favour of farmers during his government’s tenure. Later he proceeded to Shajahnapur to launch and lay the foundation stone of welfare schemes worth Rs 500 crore.

  • Freeing terrorists was among first acts of Samajwadi Party in 2012: Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday asked people to remember that freeing terrorists involved in attacking Sri Ram Janmabhoomi in Ayodhya were among the first acts of the Samajwadi Party government in 2012.

    Adityanath made the allegations while addressing a rally in Budaun, one of the strongholds of the Samajwadi Party.

    “Try to remember what was the first thing done by the Samajwadi Party when it came to power in 2012. First, riots took place in Kosikalan, then in Bareilly and then in Muzaffarnagar and Lucknow and Kanpur. There was no district in the state where riots did not take place. After coming to power, the SP did nothing for the poor, women, youth and farmers but withdrew cases against the terrorists who had attacked Shri Ram Janmabhoomi,” said the chief minister.

    “The previous government used to withdraw cases against terrorists and rioters and invite them to the CM’s residence to honour them. But our government sent terrorists to their ‘Lok’ (world). There is no leniency with terrorists nor any compromise with rioters,” he said.

    Before 2017, the law and order situation in UP was bad, festivals were never allowed to be held peacefully and anarchy was at its peak, the chief minister said, adding the women and girls did not feel safe in the state.

    He said that no one was willing to invest either here as they knew investing here was not safe. “In the last four-and-half years, all festivals have been held peacefully. Before 2017, there was no COVID-19 pandemic but owing to curfew during festivals, there was an attack on our faith,” he said.

    “If someone raised a voice against rioters, they were framed in false cases and harassed. After 2017, however, there have been no riots in the state,” he added.

    Adityanath also said owing to a zero-tolerance policy of his government against crime and criminals, UP has become an example in the country on how to act against criminals enjoying the patronage of those in power. “Properties of the mafia dons worth Rs 1,800 crore have been seized and properties worth almost the same amount which could not be seized, were razed to the ground by bulldozers,” he said.

    ALSO READ| Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP over pace of probe in Lakhimpur Kheri case

    Terming Ayodhya as “our identity”, the chief minister said once people hesitated in visiting Ayodhya and doubted the very existence of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna besides questioning the need of having a Ram temple there.

    “But you have seen how the UP government organised the Deepawali Utsav in Ayodhya that the entire world saw. We attracted the country and the world towards Deepawali in Ayodhya by making the festival an event,” the chief minister pointed out.

    Accusing the previous SP government of indulging in corruption and undermining the identity of the people of the state, Adityanath asserted, “Their agenda was confined to them and their families. And that is why each of their work reflected their ego. But in the last four-and-half years, you have seen a new UP and a changing image of UP.”

    Accusing the opposition parties of isolating themselves from people during the pandemic, Adityanath said, “At the time of COVID-19, the Union and state governments and BJP public representatives ventured out to serve people but nothing was known about opposition leaders. All of them were in home isolation and self-quarantine. When these people did not reach out to you at the time of crisis, they should be asked to keep aloof in elections as well. They were on Twitter during the pandemic and they will be given replies on Twitter itself.”

    He said that Uttar Pradesh has emerged as the number one state in many schemes of the Centre and sought to know why the welfare schemes were not implemented before 2017. “For previous governments, their own dynasty was the state. The 24-25 crore people of the state never meant anything to them. They were only interested in their own families earning money, buying property abroad and securing their families by purchasing an island,” Adityanath said.

    “Keeping the state safe was not their agenda. They embraced criminal and mafia elements, let the law and order situation worsen. They had no agenda of development either. But for Prime Minister Narendra Modi and me, 130 crore people of the country, including 25 crore of UP are our family,” he said.

  • Samajwadi Party​ chief Akhilesh Yadav slams BJP over pace of probe in Lakhimpur Kheri case

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav on Tuesday hit out at the BJP over the Supreme Court’s observations on the probe into the Lakhimpur Kheri case, charging that the saffron party decides whom to implicate and where to take the investigation.

    He also charged that the BJP’s three engines — Delhi engine, Lucknow engine and Lakhimpur engine — are destroying law and order in Uttar Pradesh.

    The Supreme Court on Monday suggested that a former judge of a “different high court” should monitor the Uttar Pradesh SIT probe on day-to-day basis in the Lakhimpur Kheri violence case to infuse “independence, impartiality and fairness”, saying the investigation was not going the way it expected Yadav said there is no hope of justice in the Lakhimpur case till the BJP is in power in the state

    “The Supreme Court is saying that efforts are being made to save the accused in the Lakhimpur case. The courts have raised questions on the law and order of the state many times in the past. Why is the government not accepting the matter of monitoring of probe? We are already saying that as long as the BJP is in government here, there is no hope of justice in this case,” he told a press conference.

    “Three engines of BJP are destroying law and order. First is the Delhi engine, then the Lucknow engine and Lakhimpur engine,” Yadav said while pointing fingers at the Centre, State and Union Minister of state Ajay Mishra whose son Ashish Mishra is named as an accused in the case.

    “The Minister of State for Home (Ajay Mishra), whose son was arrested in this case, has not been sacked yet,” the former Uttar Pradesh chief minister said, adding that the Supreme Court has raised questions on the SIT.

    “BJP decides whom to implicate, whom to follow, where to take the investigation. When will the SIT finally itself be probed?,” he said.

    Four farmers were mowed down by an SUV in the convoy at Lakhimpur Kheri when a group agitating against the Centre’s three new farm laws was holding a demonstration against the visit of Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya on October 3.

    Two BJP workers and a driver were beaten to death allegedly by the angry protesters, and a local journalist was killed in the violence Regarding Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s allegation of patronising of crime and criminals in the previous SP government, the SP chief said, “Which chief minister is speaking this after all. He should tell what sections were imposed on him, which he himself withdrew after becoming the CM.”

    Referring to the demonetisation carried out by the BJP government at the Centre in November 2016, Yadav said that despite so many years of this decision, the BJP was not telling what benefits it has given “What was called a masterstroke turned out to be a brain stroke. It was done deliberately to harass the public,” he alleged.

    Yadav said after demonetisation, the assurance was given that black money stashed in foreign banks will be bought back. “There was talk of ending corruption but corruption has increased on a large-scale. BJP’s wrong policies are responsible for the plight of the economy,” he said.

    Alleging that a large number of youths, traders and farmers have committed suicide due to demonetisation, he said, “Does the government have any answer for this? This government did demonetisation to benefit big people. Today more cash has come in the market than it was in circulation earlier. BJP is master in doing propaganda.”

    Referring to Rakesh Pratap Singh, two-time MLA from Gauriganj seat, who is on a fast to protest against non-construction of two roads in his constituency, Yadav said, “One of our MLAs is on dharna. There is an appeal to him that to end the hunger strike against the ‘deaf and blind’ government. I appeal you to end the dharna and get healthy and fight with this government.”

    He said that Leader of the Opposition Ram Govind Choudhary would visit Singh and persuade him to end his fast. Singh, who was fasting to death in the capital, was forcibly admitted to Dr. Shyama Prasad Mukherjee Hospital by the police on Friday after his health deteriorated.

    During the press conference, birthday of a boy, who was born in a bank queue in Kanpur after demonetisation, was celebrated with party leaders giving him gifts.

  • Yogi meets Kairana families who returned after exodus, assures them security

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: In a bid to soothe the victims of the 2016 Kairana mass exodus, CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday said that peace was restored in the district owing to his government’s policy of zero-tolerance against crime.

    Adityanath, who visited Kairana city in Shamli district, met the trader families who had returned home after their migration in 2016 due to the fear of another community. He later laid the foundation stones of a PAC battalion camp and other projects.

    During a meeting with Vijay Mittal and the Mula Pansari family, CM Yogi, flanked by BJP state chief Swatantra Dev Singh and state cane minister Suresh Rana, said towns like Kairana had suffered the brunt of criminalisation of politics in the early 1990s.

    The CM also met Mittal’s wife Aditi and daughter Kanak. They all had migrated to Surat after being harassed repeatedly by extortionists. They had returned to Kairana in 2019. Another such family comprised Neetu, wife of late Vinod Singhal, who was murdered by criminals for extortion.

    Families of two men from Muzaffarnagar, who were murdered for not yielding to pressure by the extortionists, also met the CM. These were Anu Singhal and Vineet — wife and brother of late Shiv Kumar, and Rekha Garg and Harshit — wife and son of late Rajendra Kumar.

    Addressing a public meeting in the Shamli district, the CM lashed out at the previous governments and accused them of criminalisation of politics. Yogi said, “When I came here in 2017, people had demanded the battalion and outpost of PAC. After 2017, peace has returned to Kairana due to the policy of zero-tolerance against crimes and criminals. A number of families have returned to Kairana now. Today, I am here for the establishment of a battalion of Provincial Armed Constabulary (PAC),” he said.

    ALSO READ | 2022 UP polls: Will enter the fray if party decides so, says Yogi Adityanath 

    The UP CM claimed that under his regime, those who had forced the people to migrate to other parts in 2016, had themselves migrated out of the state. “Between 2014 and 2016, several Hindu families in Kairana had migrated due to threats of extortion from another community. In my regime, those who forced you to leave Kairana, have now left the place because they know that they will have to pay dearly for their misdeeds,” he said.

    Warning anti-social elements who used to indulge in riots and other crimes, the CM said if they resorted to any such activity now, their coming generations would regret it.

    The CM said a detailed report was sought from the district administration about the families who had suffered during the previous regime. “Action has been taken against many of the culprits. The government will also give compensation to the families of the victims so that they can restart their business,” he maintained.

    The Muzaffarnagar riots of 2013 and exodus of Kairana had never been a political issue for the BJP, but that of ethos and pride for the party, the CM further said. “Previous governments used to get the criminals by choppers to felicitate them. The BJP government has sent such rioters and anti-social elements to the other world. Since our government has promised security to everyone, we are bringing a PAC battalion here,” asserted Yogi.

    Adityanath’s visit to Kairana ahead of the Assembly elections assumes political significance as the BJP faces a big challenge in western UP where the opposition claims that the farmers’ protests over the new farm laws have brought the Jats and Muslims — a sizeable vote bank in the area on one page.

    According to reports, between 2014 and 2016, several Hindu families in Kairana had migrated due to threats of extortion from another community. Even, the National Human Rights Commission (NHRC) had taken cognizance of it and issued a notice to the then state government, led by Akhilesh Yadav. The exodus of Hindu families from Kairana was a big issue in the 2017 Assembly elections.

    Meanwhile, the Samajwadi Party reacted sharply to the CM’s Kairana visit saying that the CM was resorting to the exodus issue as he had nothing for the development of Kairana during his tenure.

    Senior SP leader Sudhir Punwar from Shamli accused the BJP of playing the exodus card again to polarise voters based on religion to get political mileage.

    CM Yogi Adityanath meets Kairana residents who returned after the migration in 2016

  • Uttar Pradesh polls: CM Adityanath visits Kairana, promises relief to families forced to ‘leave’ town

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Ahead of next year’s Assembly polls, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday visited Kairana in Shamil district on Monday, promising compensation to some families who were allegedly forced to leave town between 2014 and 2016.

    The BJP had claimed then that scores of Hindu families had left the western UP town after receiving threats from criminals.

    The claim, however, was contested by others.

    The alleged exodus from Kairana was a big issue in the 2017 Assembly elections.

    “I have sought a report from the district administration about the families which were harmed and their members killed here in the previous Samajwadi Party regime,” Adityanath said in Kairana, adding that action has been initiated against the guilty.

    “The government will give some compensation to the victim families so that they could again carry out their business and economic activities,” Adityanath told reporters after meeting some families who had migrated from the town between 2014 and 2016, allegedly after received extortion threats.

    “I met the families and had a lunch with them,” said the CM, who was accompanied by state BJP president Swatantra Dev Singh and minister Suresh Rana.

    He said Kairana was once considered a major industrial town of the country and a centre of classical music.

    “Towns like Kairana and Kandhla faced repercussions of the criminalisation of politics in the early 1990s and the politicisation of professional criminals. Hindu businessmen and other Hindus were forced to migrate from here on a large scale,” he alleged.

    After 2017, due to our government’s policy of zero tolerance towards crime and criminals, many families have returned, he claimed.

    Adityanath said when he came to the town in 2017, people had demanded the strengthening of the police outpost and a PAC battalion.

    “The work of strengthening the outpost has already been done and today I came here for laying the foundation of a PAC battalion camp,” he added.

    Adityanath also claimed that the town is not known for criminal activities now as the process for rapid development has started.

    “A bypass road is being built to avoid traffic jam. Industrialisation has started here and locals are getting jobs,” the CM said, adding that everyone will benefit by government schemes that are not aimed at “appeasement”.

    When asked if his visit is due to the upcoming elections, Adityanath said, “There is no election at present. It’s my duty to meet every victim and if the victim is a Hindu, it is not a crime to meet him.”

    Replying to another question, he said the “exodus is also an issue.”

    In 2016, the then BJP MP Hukum Singh had claimed that close to 350 Hindus had left Kairana due to threats by criminals.

  • BJP resolution praises Modi’s leadership, accuses opposition of opportunism

    By PTI

    NEW DELHI: Assembly elections in five states on its mind, the BJP’s national executive meeting here on Sunday saw Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath proposing the party’s political resolution that praised Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, with the chief ministers of the three other states pitching in as well.

    The resolution also accused the opposition of “opportunism” and acting with a mindset of “extreme hate”, while predicting a big win for the BJP in Uttar Pradesh, Uttarakhand, Goa and Manipur due to the development works of its state governments and the party’s organisational strength.

    Asked about the decision to pick Adityanath to propose the resolution, Finance Minister Nirmala Sitharaman retorted, “Why not”, while praising his work as chief minister and noting that he heads India’s largest state.

    The resolution was largely devoted to lauding Prime Minister Modi’s leadership over a range of issues – from the COVID-19 vaccination programme to his stand on climate change – with Sitharaman asserting that his government has restored faith in governance in India and built the country’s image abroad.

    India has played an active role in the domain of foreign policies and ensured that it is heard, she told reporters.

    The resolution said India is setting new standards of success globally under Modi but the opposition is solely acting out of “extreme hate”, alleging that it was busy derailing the COVID-19 vaccination programme by making every effort and conspiracies and spreading disinformation.

    “Opposition parties practised opportunistic politics. They never hit the road during the pandemic and confined themselves to Twitter to spread suspicion,” she said in the briefing on the resolution.

    The resolution also attacked West Bengal’s ruling Trinamool Congress for “sponsored violence” against BJP workers in the state and vowed to ensure justice through legal means.

    Tamil Nadu BJP president K Annamalai seconded the resolution moved by Adityanath with Union ministers G Kishan Reddy, who is from Telangana, and Ashwini Viashnaw, MP from Odisha, also speaking.

    It said the BJP put up an admirable performance in the assembly polls in five states, Bihar, Assam, Tamil Nadu, Puducherry, Kerala and West Bengal, and numerous bypolls and local elections, claiming that this shows the party-run governments and bodies have lived up to people’s expectations.

    Asked if there was any reference to the recent by-election results, which have been a mixed bag for the party, Sitharaman said there was no specific discussion on them.

    To a query on farmers’ protests, Sitharaman said the government has made it clear time and again its willingness to talk to farmer unions and asked them to list their grievances on the three laws.

    Farmer unions have been demanding that the government repeal the laws.

    The resolution also said a chapter of “security, peace and development” has opened in Jammu and Kashmir, noting that 2081 people lost their lives in terror incidents between 2004-14, when the Congress-led UPA was in power, while 239 citizens lost their lives between 2014-21.

    It also mentioned the development initiatives in the union territory and the completion of local body polls.

    The resolution also hailed the Modi government for delivering “corruption-free” governance with its emphasis on digitisation and transparency.

    With some farmer unions continuing their stir against three farm laws, the BJP highlighted the government’s programmes for their welfare.

    It also appreciated the central government for reducing excise duty on petrol and diesel and the BJP dispensations in many states for slashing VAT on them to give relief to consumers.

  • Jinnah remark: Adityanath attacks Akhilesh, calls him ‘cultureless’; SP chief hits back

    By PTI

    AURAIYA/LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday targeted Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his Jinnah remark, saying that someone who is “cultureless” cannot be expected to know the difference between a national hero and a traitor.

    He was attacking Yadav for his remarks in which he appeared to have equated Pakistan’s founder Mohammad Ali Jinnah with Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel.

    Without naming the SP chief directly, Adityanath said a leader of a party had recently spoke of Sardar Patel and Jinnah in the same breath as leaders who fought for India’s independence.

    During a public meeting in Hardoi on October 31, Yadav had put together names of Mahatma Gandhi and other freedom fighters with Jinnah’s.

    “Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and Jinnah studied in the same institute and became barristers. They helped (India) get freedom and never backed away from any struggle,” he had said.

    During a programme launching online transfer of money in the accounts of parents of 1.80 crore students studying under Basic Shiksha Parishad at his official residence in Lucknow, Adityanath said, “Remember, if education is incomplete, culture is lacking, etiquette is lost, then you cannot expect that person to feel the difference between a national hero and a traitor.”

    “If such a situation arises today, then it may also be a reason for the lack of interest of the child’s parents in their education. And, so all this needed to be told in the morning assembly,” he said.

    “Often this disorientation starts only when the person does not know who is the friend of the country and who is the enemy of the country. When we start weighing the national hero and the anti-national in the same scale, then naturally it raises a question mark on the person’s ability,” the chief minister said.

    In Auraiya, earlier in the day, Adityanath warned people against political parties which equate Sardar Patel with Jinnah.

    Referring to his government’s achievements in the field of basic education, he said when his government was formed in 2017, the condition of basic education was very bad, but today it is better and a lot of improvement has taken place.

    “Today, the attitude about the Basic Education Council has changed.

    When the School Chalo campaign was launched in July 2017, there were 1 crore 30 lakh children in the council schools, but the number of children increased by 50 lakh in three years.

    Today, the Basic Education Council’s schools look different, their colours, different furnishings and the uniforms of the children studying are visible,” he said.

    The chief minister also called for promoting technology and said that transfer of money online into the accounts of parents will help avoid charges of corruption in the education department.

    At the foundation stone laying of a government medical college in Auraiya and inaugurating other projects, Adityanath said, “A leader of a party had a few days back in a speech attempted to equate Sardar Vallabhbai Patel, the man who symbolised the unity of India, with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who divided the country.

    The entire state should reject such shameful and condemnable remarks.”

    “Sardar Patel, who symbolised India’s integrity, united over 563 kingdoms with India (at the time of Independence). We have to understand the mindset of the elements, who are trying to equate Sardar Patel with Jinnah. Sardar Patel united the country, while Jinnah divided the country, both cannot be contemporaries (‘samkaksh’). Sardar Patel was a ‘rashtranayak’ (national hero), but Jinnah was the one to break the unity of India. We have to remain alert of people who are trying to equate them,” he said.

    Speaking on the law and order front, Adityanath said that the image of the state is changing.

    “Earlier, professional criminals and mafia had made the lives of the poor, traders and women miserable. Earlier, there was a race to embrace the mafia elements, and derive political mileage. But, today everybody knows that bulldozers are running over the mafia, and it can also run over those who give refuge to the mafia,” he said.

    The Uttar Pradesh chief minister added that every person knows that there is zero tolerance towards criminals.

    Meanwhile, The Samajwadi Party chief on Saturday sought to defend his widely criticised statement equating Jinnah with Mahatma Gandhi, Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru and saying they helped India get freedom even as an UP minister suggested a narco test for him for “glorifying” the Pakistani leader.

    As the row over the Samajwadi Party(SP) leader’s comments raged, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, without naming Yadav, described the remarks as “shameful and condemnable” and warned people against political parties which equate Sardar Patel with Jinnah.

    His ministerial colleague Anand Swaroop Shukla also said those heaping praises on Jinnah should go to Pakistan.

    Yadav on his part hit out at his detractors, asking them to read history books again.

    Asked by reporters in Lucknow about his response to the row over his remarks that had kicked up a controversy ahead of the Assembly elections in UP, the former chief minister shot back, “Why should I say the context? I would say read the books again.”

    Yadav’s counter-attack drew a sharp response from UP BJP chief Swatantra Dev Singh, who in a Hindi tweet said, “The love for Jinnah still remains intact. Akhilesh Yadav ji please tell which history books have to be read — the Indian or the Pakistani.”

    On October 31, Yadav had said, “Sardar Patel, Mahatma Gandhi, Jawaharlal Nehru and (Muhammad Ali) Jinnah studied in the same institute and became barristers. They helped (India) get freedom and never backed away from any struggle.”

    Minister Shukla told reporters in Ballia that Jinnah is responsible for the division of the country.

    “Jinnah is a villain, who no Indian would like to see or listen to. Akhilesh Yadav must clarify as to under which pressure, greed, is he glorifying Jinnah?”

    “I want Akhilesh Yadav to himself come forward, and get his narco test done,” he said.

    A narco test involves the injection of a drug, sodium pentothal, which induces a hypnotic or sedated state in which the subject’s imagination is neutralised, and they are expected to divulge true information.

    Shukla further said that those raising ‘zindabad’ slogans in praise of Jinnah, having thoughts and feelings of Jinnah in their mind, have no place in India.

    “They themselves should go to Pakistan,” the BJP leader added.

    Speaking at a public event in Auraiya, Adityanath, without naming Yadav, said a leader of a party had a few days back in a speech attempted to equate Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the man who symbolised the unity of India, with Muhammad Ali Jinnah, who divided the country.

    The chief minister said the entire state should reject such “shameful and condemnable” remarks.

    “Sardar Patel, who symbolised India’s integrity, united over 563 kingdoms with India (at the time of Independence). We have to understand the mindset of the elements, who are trying to equate Sardar Patel with Jinnah. Sardar Patel united the country, while Jinnah divided the country, both cannot be contemporaries (‘samkaksh’).”

    “Sardar Patel was a ‘rashtranayak’ (national hero), but Jinnah was the one to break the unity of India. We have to be alert of people who are trying to equate them,” Adityanath said.

    The SP also demanded the sacking of Shukla for accusing Yadav of getting economic support from Pakistan’s spy agency ISI.

    Shukla on Tuesday had said that Chief Minister Adityanath has become a challenge for the Islamic world.

    “Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav is getting all support from them. Akhilesh is getting ‘sanrakshan aur sujhav’ (patronage and advice) from the ISI. It is possible that he might also be getting economic support from it.”

    On Friday, SP workers staged a protest at the District Collectorate building to demand the registration of a case against the minister.

    The opposition party has demanded that a case be registered against Shukla for making insulting remarks against the party chief, and spreading animosity in the society.

    SP’s Ballia district unit chief Raj Mangal Yadav, meanwhile, said there will be intense protests against the minister and that he will not be allowed to enter the district if the administration doesn’t take action against him.

  • 2022 UP polls: Will enter the fray if party decides so, says Yogi Adityanath 

    Express News Service

    LUCKNOW: Ready to try his fate in the upcoming Assembly elections, UP CM Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said he would contest the forthcoming polls if the party decided so and the decision on the assembly segment from where he would contest would also be taken by the party. Adityanath is currently a member of the UP Legislative Council.

    The CM has been a five-time MP from Gorakhpur. He had represented the eastern UP constituency in Lok Sabha five times in a row since 1998. 

    A day after Yogi’s statement, Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav renewed his attack by mocking the CM saying Adityanath should not contest elections as he was about to leave after his certain defeat in the 2022 Assembly elections.

    The CM’s statement about contesting the election came days after Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav stated that he would not be contesting the 2022 UP polls. The former CM of the state Akhilesh Yadav is currently MP from Azamgarh and has never contested assembly polls. As former UP CM, Akhilesh was a member of the council.

    CM Yogi, when asked by the media persons in Gorakhpur, if he would contest the assembly polls early next year, he said, “I have always contested elections and I will contest from wherever the party will say.” “The party has a parliamentary board and it decides who will contest from where,” he said in reply to another question. Adityanath said the BJP government had fulfilled the promises made in its sankalp patra in 2017.

    On the law and order situation, he said, “When we came to the government in 2017, the law and order was at its lowest in the state, but today the situation of Uttar Pradesh is an example for the whole country. There has been no riot during the last four and a half years. All the festivals including Deepawali went off peacefully.

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    On the Ayodhya deepotsav, of which the CM was a part, he said the event had earned global recognition. “We have liberated Uttar Pradesh from the identity crisis by organizing events such as the Deepotsav of Ayodhya, the grand-divine Kumbh of Prayagraj, better law and order, increased opportunities for investment and employment, and public welfare schemes and their implementation to the benefit of the man standing on the last rung in the society. Wherever the person of Uttar Pradesh goes, he will be looked upon with respect,” said the CM. 

    The CM also informed the media persons that Purvanchal Expressway would be inaugurated this month. “The Prime Minister has seen its presentation. Employment has been generated for 60 lakh people from Purvanchal Expressway,” said CM. Taking forward the discussion of employment, he said that four and a half lakh youth were given government jobs and with such transparency that no one can raise a finger.

    The chief minister said the state has now become the best destination in the country for investment from abroad due to good road connectivity and a guarantee of security. 

    “Earlier investments went out, but now investment is coming to the country from outside. Earlier people used to say that UP starts with potholes and ditches and now it is known for expressways and a network of four-lane roads, he said. CM also talked about corruption in food distribution, food theft in many districts, and starvation death of Musahars in Kushinagar due to lack of ration before March 2017.

    “The CM claimed that 40 lakh ration cards were found on which ration was coming out, but the cardholder was not aware. “In order to make the food distribution system transparent, arrangements of ePass machines were made in 80 thousand ration shops,” he maintained.

    Meanwhile, reacting to the statement of the UP CM that he will contest from wherever his party says, SP chief Akhilesh Yadav said: “Baba Chief Minister should not contest elections now, he is about to leave. As far as my candidature is concerned, the party will decide from where and when I have to contest elections.”

    Akhilesh Yadav has recently claimed that he would not be contesting the 2022 elections. The SP chief has never contested Assembly elections, he is currently an MP from Azamgarh. Answering questions on the recent controversy of taking Jinnah’s name along with Mahatma Gandhi, the SP chief that BJP people should read books.

  • Uttar Pradesh govt about 4.5 lakh jobs since 2017, claims CM Yogi Adityanath

    By PTI

    LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday claimed that his government has given about 4.5 lakh jobs so far and no one can point finger at any of these appointments.

    The CM said this addressing a gathering after distributing appointment letters to 33 newly appointed assistant engineers in the Housing and Urban Planning Department.

    “After 2017, several times more appointments in government and private sector were made as compared with jobs given between 2002 and 2017.

    For appointment, no candidate needed any recommendation and wherever we got even the slightest clue of any discrepancy, our government has taken very strict action,” he claimed.

    “During the last four and a half years, we have made appointments in a transparent manner. About 4.5 lakh youth have till now got government job in different departments in the state,” the CM claimed.

    No one can point finger at any of the appointments because these were made in a transparent manner, the CM said.

    Adityanath told the newly appointed engineers that their role should be to improve the image of their department and advised them to shun corruption.

    Speaking on development work, the CM said the Kanpur Metro will be inaugurated next month.