In an attempt to placate Dalits, BJP national president Amit Shah and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath paid floral tributes to Dalit icon Jyotiba Phule on his birth anniversary sending a signal that the party was not against the community and even respects Dalit icons.
Shah, who reached Lucknow airport around 12.30 pm on Wednesday to a rousing welcome, went drove straight to Samatamulak crossing in Gomtinagar to pay floral tributes to the Dalit icon. Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath and his two deputies— Keshav Prasad Maurya and Dinesh Sharma— along with other ministers too joined him in offering tributes.
The sudden visit of Shah to offer his tribute to the Dalit icon is being seen as a counter tact against BJP Dalit MPs, who have launched a tirade against the party brass and the government.
This is probably the first time when BJP leaders have paid floral tributes to Jyotiba Phule on his birth anniversary. The area was decked up with flowers and BJP flags as words spread that Shah and Yogi would visit the place.
Shah and other BJP leaders stayed at Samata Mulak crossing for almost 20 minutes and from there the BJP president went to the CM’s residence for meeting with ministers and RSS functionaries.