,With less than six months to polls, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s “abba jaan” remark has taken centre stage in state politics, now with Rahul Gandhi weighing in on the row and censuring the CM.
Taking to Twitter on Tuesday, the Opposition leader wrote, 'Jo nafrat kare, woh yogi kaisa! (what kind of a Yogi propagates hate!)'.
Reacting to the sneer, the office of Yogi Adityanath wrote back, 'Dear Rahul ji, if running bulldozers on the empire of criminals and mafia is hatred, then this hate will keep continuing.”
Reacting to Yogi's snide comment alluding to Muslims, Bihar's Rashtriya Janata Dal leader Tejashwi Yadav, too, censured the CM, calling the comment 'absurd'.
In a video message shared on Twitter, he said, "Yogi Adityanath should talk about the people who say 'pita jaan' (Hindi word for father) – how many of them have been given employment or education?"
He added, "This is just religion and caste-based politics under BJP's rule, since elections (in Uttar Pradesh) are coming soon."
Lalan Singh Slams Yogi
Earlier, JD(U) president Lalan Singh had slammed the CM, asserting that the country belong to everyone be it any religion, reported PTI.
"Terms like 'unity in diversity' are used for our country. The country belongs to all. No remarks should me made that harm the country," reported PTI, quoting Singh.
Singh also slammed Jharkhand Chief Minister Hemant Soren for his remarks allegedly aimed at Bhojpuri and Maghai speaking people in Uttar Pradesh, saying that “everybody has a right to settle in whichever part of the country they like”.
Background
Adityanath’s “abba jaan” remark came when he addressed a public meeting in Kushinagar on 12 September. During his speech, Adityanath said, “Under PM Modi’s leadership, there is no place for appeasement politics. Before 2017 was everyone able to get ration? Earlier only those who used to say ‘abba jaan' were digesting the ration”, news agency ANI reported.
Singh’s comments come as his party JD(U), BJP’s biggest ally in the state, is rolling up sleeves to fight in the upcoming Assembly poll in Uttar Pradesh either by itself or in alliance with the BJP.
The speculation also comes as JD(U) reportedly will be sending its senior leader KY Tyagi to a rally organised in Jind on 25 September by Indian Natioanl Lok Dal (INLD) chief Om Prakash Chautala, raising questions of an emerging third front in Bihar.
However, Singh asserted that JD(U) is a strong part of the NDA and stated that the his party is attending the rally as it is being organised to mark the birth anniversary of Devi Lal.
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