"If UP turns into Kerala...": Pinarayi Vijayan Sneers at Yogi Adityanath

India is beautiful in all its colours, "don't insult the spirit" of the country, Congress leader Rahul Gandhi said while reacting on Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's remark that the state will turn into a "Kashmir, Kerala or Bengal" if the BJP was not voted back to power.

"There is strength in our Union. Our Union of Cultures. Our Union of Diversity. Our Union of Languages. Our Union of People. Our Union of States. From Kashmir to Kerala. From Gujarat to West Bengal. India is beautiful in all its colours. Don't insult the spirit of India," Rahul Gandhi tweeted, without naming anyone.

Kerala Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan also slammed his Uttar Pradesh counterpart for his early morning warning to voters. He wrote on Twitter: “If UP turns into Kerala as Yogi Adityanath fears, it will enjoy the best education, health services, social welfare, living standards and have a harmonious society in which people won't be murdered in the name of religion and caste. That's what the people of UP would want.”

In a video message, hours before the start of the first phase of voting in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi Adityanath had warned voters that Uttar Pradesh could soon become a "Kashmir, Bengal or Kerala" if BJP doesn't come to power.

Congress leader Shashi Tharoor also responded to Yogi Adityanath's comments in a tweet. He wrote: "UP will turn into Kashmir, Bengal or Kerala if BJP doesn't come to power, Yogi Adityanath tells voters. UP should be so lucky!! Kashmir's beauty, Bengal's culture and Kerala's education would do wonders for the place. UP's wonderful: pity about its government."