LUCKNOW: In a bid to accomplish ‘Mission 80’ in UP in the big battle of 2024, Union home minister Amit Shah along with chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday reached out to OBCs while paying tributes to former UP CM late Kalyan Singh, who was a formidable OBC leader.
According to political observers, Mission 80 is not possible without the consolidation of OBCs, the biggest chunk of the electorate in the state. Speaking on the occasion of Kalyan Singh’s second death anniversary, marked as ‘Hindu Gaurav Divas’, Shah said the late leader was a symbol of profound compassion for marginalised and economically disadvantaged sections of the society.
While Shah referred to Kalyan Singh as ‘Babuji,’ Yogi sought to call him the champion of Hindutva.
Both Shah and Yogi appealed to the people of UP to vote for the BJP in all 80 seats during the upcoming 2024 polls, which they said would be a fitting tribute to the late ‘Babuji.’
“Let the lotus bloom on all 80 seats in UP in 2024. This will be your tribute to Babuji,” said Shah.
“Babu Ji worked to uplift marginalized and deprived sections. He was an embodiment of empathy. He never did the politics of caste and never spoke of casteism but worked relentlessly to empower the deprived and downtrodden,” he said.
In the same vein, Shah credited PM Modi for working to empower backward castes by granting constitutional status to the National Commission for Backward Classes.
He said the upcoming Ram Temple was the dream of the late Kalyan Singh, who, he said, had relinquished power instead of taking action against lakhs of Kar Sewaks who had thronged Ayodhya.
“As calls to act against the devotees (kar sewaks) grew louder, Babuji made a momentous decision – he chose to tender his resignation as Chief Minister rather than order fringing on kar sewaks. It was a gesture that got etched on people’s memory forever,” said Shah.