UP will be better off if it’s like Kerala, leaders retort to Yogi Adityanath
THIRUVANANTHAPURAM: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s video cautioning voters against the state becoming like Kerala has come under scathing criticism with the political leadership in Kerala unleashing a tirade against him.
In a Twitter video message ahead of the first phase of assembly elections in Uttar Pradesh, Yogi asked the electorate to vote sensibly, failing which the state would turn out to be like Kerala, West Bengal or Kashmir. What followed was a Twitter war. Leaders, cutting across political affiliations, came down heavily on Yogi in a series of tweets.
Taking a dig at Yogi, Chief Minister Pinarayi Vijayan tweeted that becoming like Kerala would lead UP to getting better living standards. “If UP turns into Kerala as @myogiadityanath fears, it will enjoy the best education, health services, social welfare, living standards and also have a harmonious society, in which people would not be murdered in the name of religion and caste. That’s what the people of UP would want,” tweeted Pinarayi. What’s more? Pinarayi repeated the tweet in Hindi too.
Soon, Leader of Opposition V D Satheesan too joined with a tweet saying, “Dear #UP, vote to be like Kerala. Choose plurality, harmony, inclusive development over medieval bigotry. Keralites, Bengalis and Kashmiris too are proud Indians.”
Later, Pinarayi came out with a detailed statement attacking Yogi for his “prejudiced” campaign against Kerala. He said Kerala figures at the top in almost all the standard of living indices. Even the Union Government and its agencies have approved this fact. “If people of UP wish to be like Kerala, which has been a model for the entire world, Yogi Adityanath might be worried....I wish people of UP show ‘lack of caution’ to attain progress like in Kerala.”
“The BJP’s politics denounces progressive approaches and is built upon hatred. Kerala has a strong social foundation of secularism, democracy and progressive values. Kerala remains an unachievable target for the Sangh Parivar. That’s why spreading false campaigns against Kerala remains the Sangh Parivar’s prime agenda,” said Pinarayi.
Yogi’s remarks drew flak from several other leaders too. Congress leader and MP Shashi Tharoor said UP would be lucky to have such a scenario. “UP will turn into Kashmir, Bengal or Kerala if BJP doesn’t come to power, @myogiadityanath tells voters. UP should be so lucky!! Kashmir’s beauty, Bengal’s culture & Kerala’s education would do wonders for the place. UP’s wonderful; pity about its Govt,” tweeted Tharoor.
Senior Congress leader Ramesh Chennithala and CPM general secretary Sitaram Yechury also joined the chorus. Meanwhile, the BJP leadership in Kerala tried to defend Yogi. Coming up with two separate tweets, BJP state chief K Surendran said the UP CM’s principal secretary was not arrested for gold smuggling and neither did the state cover up its Covid deaths.
‘No minister in UP went for treatment in USA’
T’Puram: “The Principal Secretary to the CM @ myogiadityanath has not been arrested for gold smuggling. UP hasn’t witnessed even a single communal clash in the past five years. Even the SC has appreciated the UP Model of #COVID19 management. No minister in UP went for treatment in the USA,” said the first tweet which was closely followed by another one.
“The @myogiadityanath government haven’t hidden any #COVID19 related deaths. The test positivity ratio of Uttar Pradesh never crossed 20%. The most populous state in India has registered 23,359 deaths, while Kerala recorded 60,793. This is the sad reality of No.1 Kerala Model,” said the second one.