Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Sunday, 12 September, took a jibe at Samajwadi Party (SP), accusing it of favouring a minority community in the country.
“Under PM Modi’s leadership, there is no place for appeasement politics... Before 2017 was everyone able to get ration? Only those who used to say ‘Abba Jaan’ were digesting the ration,” Adityanath said at an event in the state’s Kushinagar district while launching several developmental projects, reported ANI.
‘Abba Jaan’ is a term used by the minority Muslim community to address fathers.
“The ration meant for Srinagar went to Nepal and Bangladesh back then. But if someone tries to take away ration from the poor now, he will definitely land in jail,” he further said, reported Hindustan Times.
“There have been no hunger deaths in last four-and-half years. People wearing hawai chappals and sons of farmers will travel by air,” he further said, according to The Times of India.
Calls Congress 'Mother of Terrorism'
He also called the Congress party the “mother of terrorism” in India, accusing it of giving shelter to the mafia and insulting faith in Lord Ram, reported Hindustan Times.
“Corruption, unemployment and mafia were dominant in its regime. The Modi Government gave development to 135 crore people and worked with the agenda of ‘sabka saath sabka vikas',” reported The Times of India.
He said the Congress and SP gave the state “disease, unemployment, mafia raj and corruption”. The BJP leader said the people of Uttar Pradesh should not tolerate “the pro-Taliban, casteist and dynastic mentality that shot at the devotees of Lord Ram,” according to Hindustan Times.
“There was a time when governments would be a slave of mafias, today bulldozers run on their houses,” The Times of India quoted him as saying.
“But the BJP heals the citizens, paves the way for the construction of a grand temple of Lord Shri Ram and sends the mafia to the place they deserve. If there is BJP, there is respect for everyone, there is respect for faith,” Adiyanath further said, reported Hindustan Times.
He said the UP government would soon be advertising 90,000 vacancies in government departments. “Earlier, jobs were auctioned or mortgaged. If anyone tries that today, we get their houses auctioned. Now, youths are getting jobs on merit,” he said, reported The Times of India.
He further said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had "changed the political agenda of the country".
"The politics that began in 1947 and was limited to caste, religion, region and language, family and dynasty, PM Modi made it for villages, the poor, farmers, youth, women and children,” Adityanath also said, reported NDTV.
Omar Abdullah Accuses Adityanath of 'Blatant Communalism' And 'Hatred' Towards Muslims
Soon after the clip of Adityanath’s speech was shared by ANI, Omar Abdullah, the former chief minister of Jammu and Kashmir, accused Adityanath of “blatant communalism” and “hatred” directed towards Muslims.
“I’ve always maintained the BJP has no intention of fighting any election with an agenda other than blatant communalism & hatred with all the venom directed towards Muslims. Here is a CM seeking re-election claiming that Muslims ate up all the rations meant for Hindus,” the National Conference leader tweeted.
Meanwhile, Congress Leader Kapil Sibal, too, criticised Adityanath for his comments.
"Our Government wants: An inclusive Afghanistan. With his "abba jaan" remark. What does Yogiji want: An inclusive UP Or Divide and rule?" tweeted Sibal.
(With inputs from Hindustan Times, The Times of India, NDTV, and ANI.)
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