Yogi Adityanath Turns To Shayari To Target Rahul Gandhi, Akhilesh Yadav

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today turned to 'shayari' to target Opposition parties Samajwadi Party and the Congress and also termed them "Bhasmasur", accusing them of using the power of the people to suppress them.

"When the Congress was in power at the Centre before 2014 and the Samajwadi Party in Uttar Pradesh before 2017, the sights they have shown to the country... they make tall claims now, but if you start looking at their dark deeds, they will realise..."

"I am reminded of a poet's words. Nazar nahin hai, nazaron ki baat karte hain, zameen par chand-sitaron ki baat karte hain, woh haath jodkar basti ko lutne wale, bhari sabha mein sudharon ki baat karte hain," the Chief Minister said at an event in Ghaziabad. The lines roughly translate to: "They don't have eyes, they talk about sights, they talk about moon and stars on earth, they loot with folded hands and then talk about reforms."

Targeting Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav and Congress leader Rahul Gandhi, Mr Adityanath said, "This duo has come to Uttar Pradesh to mislead. They have only looted, they have done good to no one apart from their families. Whenever the people have given them power, they have misused it like Bhasmasur."

Bhasmasur is a mythological character who was granted a unique power by Lord Shiva -- anyone whose head Bhasmasur placed his hand on turned to ash. The demon misused this power and became a terror. Lord Vishnu then assumed the appearance of Mohini, a danseuse, who charmed Bhasmasur into a dance. During the dance, he placed his hand on his head and turned to ash.

"They target your faith with the power you have given them. If the Congress government at the Centre was bringing laws to suppress Hindus, Samajwadi Party was following them here," he said.

Mr Adityanath accused Samajwadi Party of bowing to mafia and notorious criminals during its rule in the state. "They call religious leaders mafia. Aurangzeb's soul has entered them."

The Chief Minister was responding to Mr Yadav's remarks in which he said there is not much difference between a mathadheesh (head of a math) and mafia.

Mr Adityanath said Hindus had to flee the state during the Samajwadi party's rule and daughters were in danger. "Today, the daughters are safe, traders are respected, youth have jobs and farmers are surging ahead with confidence," he said.

The Samajwadi Party has been attacking the Yogi Adityanath government on the state's law and order situation. Mr Yadav recently said the BJP has made Uttar Pradesh "capital of fake encounters" and "murders" are being orchestrated under the guise of police encounters.