LUCKNOW: UP chief Minister Yogi Adityanath is fast becoming the most wanted star campaigner of the saffron brigade after Prime Minister Narendra Modi and party chief Amit Shah. Once again, expect fireworks as he would be holding a mega rally in Karnataka ironically at Mangalore's Nehru maidan on March 6.
The bitter spat between Yogi and his Karnataka counterpart from Congress, who is under immense pressure to save the state from falling into BJP's hands, has seen Hindutva take the centre stage, with barbs having been traded over cows and beef, corruption and farmer suicides.
The UP Chief Minister is expected to address people at a rally that is slated to start around 5.30 in the evening. Yogi is expected to speak for close to an hour as the rally is expected to come to a close around 7pm.
"UP CM Adityanath has proved to be a successful administrator who knows what his people need and is committed to providing those to them. This is what sets him apart from Karnataka CM Siddaramaiah who has just robbed the people of his state blind as his regime is steeped in corruption. Yogi ji is only exposing him on his own turf and this is why he goes weak in the knees when Yogi ji arrives in Karnataka," said UP BJP spokesperson Dr Chandra Mohan.
Earlier, Yogi had attacked Siddaramaiah over advocating eating beef and yet calling himself a Hindu. I want to ask the CM that if he is a Hindu who supports Hindutva, then is it right to endorse eating beef?"
The UP CM had taken jibes at the Karnataka CM, when the latter had attacked him over reported starvation deaths in UP. Adityanath had reminded that farmer suicides had been highest under Siddaramaiah's regime. He had also reminded that BJP had tried to introduce a law to ban cow slaughter when they were in power, but was scuttled by Congress.
Siddaramaiah had responded saying he had "reared cows, grazed them and cleaned the dung".
Yogi had also alleged that the Karnataka CM was reminiscing his Hindu roots due to approaching elections. At a BJP rally in Bengaluru, Adityanath had said, "I saw a news report where in chief minister Siddaramaih was saying that he was a Hindu. After seeing your strength he is now talking about Hindutva in the same manner as Rahul Gandhi was visiting temples in Gujarat."
