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Cong has always hurt religious sentiments: Yogi in Tripura
UP CM retaliates to Rahul Gandhi’s ‘derogatory references’, says Congress has a history of conning people
LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday responded to the derogatory references directed at him allegedly by Congress top leader Rahul Gandhi, by launching a scathing counter-attack at the Congress from poll-bound Tripura, accusing Gandhi and his party of hurting religious sentiments.
“The Congress has always hurt religious sentiments. It denied existence of Lord Ram and Lord Krishna, opposed Ram temple and Ram Setu,” said Adityanath in his well-attended public rallies in Tripura, where a sizeable section comprises Hindu Bengalis, who follow the Nath sect and follow Shaivism, same as Adityanath, who is also the head priest of Gorakhnath Mutt.
“Congress ka itihaas hamesha desh ko thagne ka raha hai (The Congress has a history of conning the people of the country)” he said in election rallies in the north-eastern state, where he had a played a crucial role in the BJP’s first ever win in 2018.
The attack came hours after the BJP accused Rahul Gandhi of making derogatory references to Adityanath at a closed-door session at the Delhi’s Constitution Club, coordinated by Swaraj India leader Yogendra Yadav on Monday.
Gandhi had reportedly stated in that meeting that anyone wearing saffron robe did not become a religious leader and went on to make ‘derogatory references’ directed at the U.P. chief minister.
Adityanath responded by taking on the Congress in all his public meetings in Tripura, repeatedly striking down Gandhi and his party over insulting majoritarian religious beliefs.
Addressing public meetings in North Tripura, Khowai and Tripura Sadar, he called the Congress and the Left parties two sides of the same coin and said slowly the existence of the two parties was disappearing.
“Beware of both Congress and the Communist parties, who have come to make a dent in your security,” he said as songs like ‘Yogi ji aayo re-Yogi ji aayo re’, played in his rallies in Bagbasa and other places.
Reminding the people how the “double engine” BJP governments had benefitted the poorest of the poor, he spoke about U.P. where BJP had ensured a new-look Kashi Vishwanath corridor while a grand Ram temple was coming up fast in Ayodhya.
“Don’t trust the Congress or the Communists as they have always cheated the people,” he said in Khowai.
“In 2018, BJP had sought support for Tripura’s prosperity and overall development. For 35 years, the Communist and Congress parties negated the state’s development by looting resources, left farmers in distress and youths unemployed and risked women’s safety. Since the BJP took charge, the state has developed with the speed of a bullet train and 33 per cent job reservation to women is proof of the government’s commitment,” he said.
“Today, when the youths are getting employment and development is taking place, the Congress wants to conspire with the Communists to sabotage the development process”, he said and added that Union ministers camped in the north-east and reported to PM Modi after ensuring the benefits of the schemes.
Yogi Adityanath will address three more election rallies in Unakoti and West Tripura districts on Wednesday.
Yogi is also expected to visit the Gorakhnath temple at Padampur on the outskirts of Dharmanagar. He is scheduled to hold around half a dozen public meetings during his two-day poll campaign in Tripura that also includes roadshows.
Deputy chief minister Keshav Prasad Maurya also hit out at the Congress over Gandhi’s objectionable references to Yogi Adityanath.
“Such remarks show the Congress’s growing desperation. Now, they know that under BJP and Yogi ji’s rule, U.P. is developing fast and that Congress has become politically irrelevant in the state,” Maurya said.
