Balrampur: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday accepted the challenge thrown by Samajwadi Party (SP) President Akhilesh Yadav to contest the upcoming state Assembly polls from Ayodhya, saying that the political contest should be a “direct face-off”.
The Chief Minister made the remarks while addressing a gathering in Uttar Pradesh’s Balrampur for the inauguration and foundation-laying of several development projects.
CM Adityanath also lashed out at Akhilesh Yadav for fielding his own uncle (Ram Gopal Yadav) and an industrialist (Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani) as SP’s Rajya Sabha candidates from Uttar Pradesh, instead of someone from the backward or Brahmin communities.
“When people first asked me regarding PDA, I had replied that it stands for ‘Parivar Development Authority’ since they (Samajwadi Party) don’t have anything else to think about other than their family. Recently Rajya Sabha polls were conducted in the state, was there any Dalit candidate from the Samajwadi Party? Or whether there is any SP candidate from any other backward community or from communities such as the Brahmins, Kayastha, Vaishya, Kshatriya or Khatri?… No,” the Chief Minister said.
“Samajwadi Party contested in two of the ten seats, of which Akhilesh Yadav’s uncle Ram Gopal Yadav was fielded from one, while the second seat was sold to a ‘Dhanna seth’ (industrialist Dhanraj Parimal Nathwani). This is what their PDA stands for, ‘Parivar Development Authority’ and ‘Paraya Dhan Apna’,” CM Adityanath remarked.
The Chief Minister accused the SP of “selling out” Uttar Pradesh, saying: “That is why I say that the real meaning of PDA is ‘Pradesh Dubau Alliance’. Those who drowned the state, created troubles for the youth here, those who robbed them of employment opportunities, troubled farmers and made Balrampur as the most poor district of the country, is the Samajwadi Party.”
He responded to Akhilesh Yadav’s challenge regarding contesting Assembly polls from Ayodhya.
CM Adityanath said: “They challenged me to contest the election from Ayodhya. Well, Akhileshji, Ayodhya is our sacred abode. I visit it to ensure there is no laxity in its development and that no blemish tarnishes the identity of Uttar Pradesh.”
He also criticised the previous SP government of poor electricity supply and sanitation issues in Ayodhya.
“The place which only received three to four hours of electricity and was plagued by heaps of filth by you (Akhilesh Yadav)—now stands as an example of ‘Ram Rajya,’ evoking memories of the Treta Yuga,” he said.
Issuing a direct challenge to Akhilesh Yadav, CM Adityanath said: “I offer you to file your nomination from Ayodhya, and I will file mine.”
He asserted that political contests should be direct.
Taking a jibe at the SP Chief, Chief Minister Adityanath remarked: “Battle should be against the main adversaries rather than their ‘disciples’ (proxies); the contest should be a direct face-off.”
Accusing SP leaders of adopting a soft stance towards mafia, the Chief Minister said: “Those people who visited the graves of professional criminals, don’t stand a chance to contest against us! The public has already delivered a fitting response to such individuals in the past.”
“The public has already delivered their verdict that the NDA will win 80 per cent of the seats in the upcoming Assembly elections and even if the rest 20 per cent go to them (SP), I assure you that we will not let Balrampur lag behind in terms of development,” he said while reiterating a previous remark.
Emphasising that there is a limit to opposing things, CM Adityanath claimed that Congress and its alliance partners have even “forgotten the basics of decency”, while referring to the ongoing protests against Chief Election Commissioner Gyanesh Kumar.
“By using deplorable language and letting go of all values, they are trying to spread anarchy in the country which will not be allowed by the double-engine government (of the NDA). Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, nobody will be able to mess with India’s dignity,” he said.
“Those trying to spread anarchy will meet the same fate as those who attempted to spread terrorism and Naxalism,” CM Adityanath warned.
(IANS)
