Yogi invokes mythology to bring back BJP in Karnataka

BENGALURU: Having received a grand welcome to address the BJP Parivarthana rally in Bengaluru ahead of the 2018 elections, perhaps the largest crowd till date in the city that was put together by the Karnataka BJP, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath invoked the mythological tale of Ramayana to urge voters to bring back the saffron party to power.
In his speech that was eclipsed by whistling, howling and slogans of "Yogi", the UP CM said, "Karnataka and north India have a long standing association. And more so for me, with the state being the Janmabhoomi (birth place) of Hanuman who assisted Marayadha purush lord Rama in bringing back Sita from the clutches of Ravana. The state also has an association with the Gorakhnath sect, from which I hail, whose founder came to the state to spread the beliefs of the mutt. It is similarly, imperative to ensure that BJP wins in Karnataka to further development agenda of Prime Minister Narendrabhai Modi and that of the state. It is now a known fact that BJP is unifying the entire country with its victories in most of the state across the nation."

Adityanath attacked the Siddaramaiah regime in the state by citing that there have been 22 murders of Sangh parivar workers in the state, for which no action has been initiated.

"When the BJP took charge in UP, there was a fear among mothers and sisters to walk alone in the streets and communal violence occured every third day. Today, I can claim proudly that in the last 10 months of BJP regime in that state there has been no communal clashes in UP. However, in Karnataka, there have been 22 murders of BJP karyakarthas and no action. This shows that wherever Congress is in power all is not well with governance in those states," he said, to loud cheers from the workers.

If Siddaramaiah is a Hindu, perhaps he should walk the talk by banning cow slaughter and beef in Karnataka: Yogi

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday took a dig at chief minister Siddaramaiah's statement in a local daily that said he was a Hindu by faith.

"I am a Hindu and we have banned cow slaughter in UP. Now, if Siddaramaiah is a Hindu then let him ban cow slaughter and beef in the state. The BJP government previously had brought an effective piece of legislation for banning cow slaughter in the state. What did you (Siddaramaiah) do? Soon after coming to power the Congress government retracted the legislation. Is this you being Hindu?" Adityanath questioned.

Earlier, Adityanath sarcastically attacked Siddaramaiah citing that the CM confessed to being a Hindu on seeing a see of BJP workers on the streets, just like Rahul Gandhi visited temples in Gujarat.

"Perhaps, Siddaramaiah confessed to being a Hindu on seeing you (partyworkers) on the streets in such large numbers, something similar to what Rahul Gandhi did when he visited temples in Gujarat during the assembly elections in that state," said the UP CM.