The development pitch of the BJP for Uttar Pradesh elections tripped in Ghaziabad today as Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath attacked his key rival with an allusion to buildings erected for use of particular communities. "Earlier, Haj House was built in Ghaziabad, our government built a building of Kailash Mansarovar," said the Chief Minister, whose party customarily accuses the Samajwadi Party and its chief, Akhilesh Yadav, of minority appeasement.
The Manasarovar Bhawan he referred to is a four-story building in Indirapuram, built to help Kanwar pilgrims and those making the annual journey to Kailash-Mansarovar.
Akhilesh Yadav had opened his Haj house in 2016, during his tenure at the top post. The seven-storied Aala Hazrat Haj House can accommodate 8,000 to 10,000 pilgrims for a month or two every year. The rest of the year it functions as a venue for coaching classes.
The Chief Minister's had earlier made similar attacks on the Samajwadi Party, which is his toughest opponent in the state elections due next month.
In November last year, while addressing a function in Ayodhya, he said earlier, public money used to be spent on land for "kabristan (burial grounds)" but under his government, funds are being used for the upgrade of temples.
A month later, he made the same allusion while laying foundation stones for 77 projects. "The previous governments spent money on 'kabristans', our government spends it on beautification of places associated with deities, which are places of faith," he said.
Twice last year, he had used the "abba jaan" swipe against the opposition party.
"Under PM Modi's leadership, there is no place for appeasement politics... Before 2017 was everyone able to get ration? Only those who used to say 'Abba Jaan' were digesting the ration," Yogi Adityanath had said at an event in Kushinagar.
In November, he made the same jibe to issue a warning about the protests against the Citizenship Amendment act.
"I would like to warn the person who is once again is trying to incite feelings in the name of CAA... I am asking followers of 'chacha jaan' (uncle) and 'abba jaan' to listen carefully that if attempts are made to vitiate the atmosphere of the state by inciting feelings, the state government will deal with it strictly," he had said.
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