Yogi Adityanath terms Gandhi siblings 'accidental Hindus'; slams their 'anti-UP' thinking

Lashing out at the Gandhi siblings, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath on Saturday, termed them as 'accidental Hindus' while addressing the Prabudh Varg Sammelan in Lucknow. Not naming either Rahul or Priyanka Gandhi, Adityanath claimed they took from UP and termed its denizens bad when travelling outside the state. Claiming that criticising India, UP and denying gods was a part of their thinking, he opined that this was what happened when one was 'accidentally Hindu'. The 403-seat UP assembly where Yogi rules with an iron-clad majority of 314 seats, is up for grabs in February 2022.

"Whenever there is a threat to the nation, the runs away to Italy. They have nothing to do with the nation. Uttar Pradesh helped their entire family reach till the Prime Minister post, but they go outside UP and term all UP people as bad. Whenever they go outside India, they voice the same criticism on India. They want everything from UP, but badmouthing UP, criticising India and denying Gods-goddesses is a part of their thinking. If you are accidentally a Hindu, this is what will happen," said Adityanath.

Yogi's 'Abba-jaan' jibe

Last week, while launching several development projects in Kushinagar, Adityanath alleged that the SP govt along with their used to eat up the ration of the poor, letting them die. He added that 'those who called Abba-jaan used to benefit one community' - referring to Akhilesh Yadav's alleged preference towards Muslims. Vowing that such kind of acts would not occur under BJP, he said that his government had distributed ration in an indiscriminate fashion.

Taking a jibe on Akhilesh Yadav, he said, "Why did the poor not get the ration before 2017? Ration used to reach Nepal and Bangladesh. Those who called their father Abbajan used to benefit a particular section. There used to be caste-based appointment lists. Fair appointments are being made in the BJP government and youth are getting employment". Citing that the SP govt shot at Ram devotees, he had also taunted 'Wherever the scorpion is, it will bite'. His comments have been slammed by Congress, AAP and J&K NC as 'communal and hateful', but Akhilesh Yadav has brushed it off as 'BJP's fear of defeat'.

UP Polls 2022

With BJP fighting under the leadership of incumbent CM Yogi Adityanath, several fronts have cropped up to challenge the ruling BJP. While Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj has allied with AIMIM, Pragatisheel Samajwadi Party; parties like AAP, Shiv Sena, Azad Samaj Party and JDU have announced that they will be contesting for the UP polls. SP chief Akhilesh Singh Yadav has stated that SP will only ally with smaller political parties for the 2022 Assembly polls, holding talks with Mahan Dal, NCP. Mayawati has already announced that her party will fight polls alone in UP and Uttarakhand, while allying only with Akali Dal in Punjab.  Congress has aggressively campaigned under the leadership of Priyanka Gandhi in the state, eyeing its solo return.