Yogi’s tongue turns acerbic as election hots up in UP

While addressing a press conference on Thursday Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath said that they (SP) built walls of Kabristan during their rule while we built Kashi Vishwanath Dham. The words were used with a design to incite communal hatred as of late, Yogi has started frequently using the words like mandir, masjid, abbajaan, Bajrangbali, Ali, etc in his speeches.

The people of Uttar Pradesh have seen and now remember Yogi in his pre-Chief Minister days when he was MP of Gorakhpur and president of Hindu Yuva Vahini. On January 25, 2014, while addressing a meeting in Gorakhpur he had said: “Our patience is running out. If they shed the blood of Hindus, we will not register an FIR, instead, we will kill 10 people who had shed blood of Hindus.”

Those were the days when he used the words like 'Babur ki Aulad, Hindu-Muslim, Kabba, Madina, and Shri Ram in his speeches. But after he became Chief Minister his language changed. He talked about Sabka saath, sabka vikas.

But as soon as the elections were announced in Uttar Pradesh and notification was issued on January 8, the language of Yogi Adityanath changed. He became more caustic towards Muslims and we can find references to kabristan, mandir, and masjid in his almost every speech and media interaction.

Sample this:

January 8: During an interview with Doordarshan, he said this election will be between 80% vs 20% - a clear reference to 80 per cent Hindus and 20 per cent Muslims.

January 9: If Lord Krishna is coming to Akhilesh Yadav’s dream, then He must have told him that your game is finished.

January 15: Those people who have corruption in their DNA cannot fight for social justice.

January 17: Taking a jibe at the SP's first list of candidates, Yogi Adityanath said the SP has fielded criminals responsible for the Saharanpur riots and Kairana exodus.

January 17: Akhilesh Yadav is a Jinnah lover.

January 23: The SP government had built Haj House in Ghaziabad and our government built Kailash Mansarovar here.

January 24: They are the worshipers of Jinnah, we are the priests of Sardar Patel.

January 29: Addressing a meeting in Hapur Yogi Adityanath said: “The heat which is currently visible in Kairana and Muzaffarnagar will end soon. I can create a cool environment of Shimla even at the peak of heat of May-June.

The political parties have demanded a ban on the use of the language of Yogi Adityanath saying that it is aimed at dividing the society on the religious and caste lines. The Samajwadi Party (SP) has written to the Election Commission of India complaining about the language used by Yogi Adityanath during his public appearances.

In its letter to the EC, the SP highlighted Yogi Adityanath’s warning that criminals would face the "bulldozer" once the election results are out. The Opposition party also alleged that the Uttar Pradesh CM frequently alludes to the party as “goons” and “mafia” during poll campaigning.

In another instance, Yogi Adityanath equated the iconic ‘red cap’ worn by SP supporters to rioting and history-sheeters, the party alleged.

“The language used by the ruling BJP’s Chief Minister towards the Opposition does not come under the category of moderate, dignified, and polite speech. There is no justification for the use of such language in a democracy,” Rajendra Chaudhry, SP spokesman said in the letter.