In an exclusive interview with News18, the Uttar Pradesh CM said that there are Muslim ministers in UP cabinet as well as in the Union Cabinet. BJP is not focused on faces, but on development, harmony and ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’, said the chief minister
In his first interview after filing nomination from the Gorakhpur Assembly seat, Yogi Adityanath, chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said that the Bharatiya Janata Party is not against any particular religion but is opposed to appeasement politics.
Explaining explain his relationship with the Muslim community, Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister told Rahul Joshi,
Group Editor-in-Chief, Network18 that the BJP and his government firmly believe in ‘Sabka Saath, Sakba Vikas’.
“There is a Muslim minister in my cabinet. There is a Muslim minister in the Union Cabinet. Arif Mohammad
Khan is serving as the Governor in Kerala… We are not focused on faces, but on development, harmony and ‘Sabka
Saath, Sabka Vikas’. We are not against any religion. We are against anti-national forces,” Yogi Adityanath said
during the interview at the Gorakhpur Temple.
Hitting out against “appeasement politics of the opposition”, Adityanath said his government doesn’t
discriminate. “Secularism does not mean opposing Hinduism, secularism does not mean appeasement,” he said.
The UP CM also explained his “80 versus 20” remark in recent election speeches. While the ratio was construed at
referring to Hindu and Muslim populations in the state, Yogi Adityanath said it refers to the ratio of people who want growth and security versus “people who want riots, gunda raj and corruption.”
“The 80 are people who have benefitted from our schemes, those who want development, economic growth,
women’s safety and farmers’ welfare. The other 20 are those whose criminal activities have been hit hard by our
government’s policies,” the CM said. He also accused opposition parties of placing vote bank politics above
national security.
Yogi Adityanath filed his nomination from Gorakhpur Assembly seat, his home turf, in the presence of Union
Home Minister Amit Shah on Friday. This is the first time that Adityanath, a five-time former Lok Sabha MP, is
contesting the state Assembly elections as a candidate.
In 2017, when Yogi Adityanath became Chief Minister, he had opted to become member of the Legislative Council
instead of contesting an Assembly seat.
As per the CM’s election affidavit, no criminal cases are pending against him and his assets increased by around Rs
59 lakh in the last four years. At the time of being elected MLC in 2017, his assets were Rs 95.98 lakh, which have
now increased to Rs 1,54,94,000.
Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections 2022 will be held in seven phases on the following dates: February 10
(Thursday), February 14 (Monday), February 20 (Sunday), February 23 (Wednesday), February 27 (Sunday), March
3 (Thursday) and March 7 (Monday). The Uttar Pradesh election results 2022 will be declared on March 10
(Thursday).
The Uttar Pradesh Assembly has a total of 403 seats, with 202 being the majority mark. The BJP has set the target
of 300-plus seats this time as well.
In the 2017 Uttar Pradesh elections, the BJP had swept to power with 312 seats, while the Akhilesh Yadav-led
Samajwadi Party managed 47. Mayawati’s BSP had to contend with 19 seats and the Congress was relegated to the
fourth spot in the politically significant state with just seven seats. The tenure of the current UP Assembly ends on
May 14, 2022.
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