Shaheen Bagh & Pakistan tweet: Yogi Adityanath targets CM Arvind Kejriwal at rallies

NEW DELHI: UP chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who launched a whirlwind campaign for BJP candidates in Delhi on Saturday, had political temperature soaring with his remark that “Arvind Kejriwal has Pakistan links and thus the Pakistan federal minister is seeking votes for him.” In keeping with his reputation for making no-holds barred speeches, he accused the Kejriwal government of “supplying biryani to the Shaheen Bagh protesters”.
Reacting to the allegation, senior AAP functionary Sanjay Singh said, “Yogi should be arrested immediately and questioned to get the information he has about Kejriwal’s Pakistan links.” Singh pointed out that 60 children had died in Gorakhpur, UP, due to lack of oxygen and the UP government appears to be standing with rapists. “I want to advise him to have a grip on his language.”
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AAP is planning to lodge a complaint with the Election Commission over Yogi’s remarks in which he said Kejriwal has links with Pakistan.
Slamming Kejriwal on various fronts, including developmental work, Yogi indirectly accused him of funding the Shaheen Bagh protests. “Those who support terrorists in Kashmir are protesting at Shaheen Bagh,” he said at a public meeting in Rohini. He also accused the Kejriwal government of “opposing” the hanging of the Nirbhaya convicts.
A dusty, congested Karawal Nagar chowk — which was converted into a fortress — was overflowing with a crowd restless to get a glimpse of Yogi and hear him. Many had climbed trees, buildings and even signboards for a better view. He was welcomed with loud cheers when he emerged on the dais set up in a corner with his picture as the backdrop.
Raking up the call given by Pakistan federal minister Fawad Hussain Chaudhry on Twitter to defeat PM Narendra Modi in the Delhi assembly elections, Yogi said abolition of Article 370 in Jammu & Kashmir was a setback for Pakistan. “Had it not troubled Pakistan, the Pakistan minister would not have sought votes for Kejriwal in the Delhi elections,” said Yogi.
The UP CM addressed four back-to-back rallies in Jahangirpuri, Narela and Rohini assembly constituencies where he focused primarily on Shaheen Bagh. The protests are not against CAA but to oppose India’s emergence as a power centre in the world, he said. “Their (protesters) ancestors divided the country and they are opposed to the fact that now India is becoming Ek Bharat Shreshtha Bharat,” said Yogi.
The CM said that people of Delhi need better roads, rapid rail, clean air and water and not Shaheen Bagh. “Only BJP can provide all these because all the funds of the Kejriwal government is spent in funding Shaheen Bagh like protests,” he said.
Yogi reminded the crowd that AAP had failed to keep its promise of appointing a Lokpal. He blamed Kejriwal for the smog in Delhi. “He also has breathing difficulties. He goes to Bangalore for treatment. He spends 12 days in a naturopathy centre but plays with the health of the citizens of Delhi,” said Yogi.
He said he had found the roads in Karawal Nagar and Mustafabad in a bad condition and slammed Kejriwal over it. He also blamed him for allegedly not releasing funds for the rapid rail project between Delhi and Meerut and not issuing an NOC for construction of an expressway from Delhi to Haridwar. He said that the UP government is working towards making the Ganga clean, but Kejriwal’s indifference made Yamuna poisonous.
A group of people sitting near the dais at Narela were heard shouting, ‘Desh ke gaddaron ko, goli maro saalon ko’. Turning to them, Yogi asked them to recognise the power of ballot, not bullet. “Recognize the value of each vote in the election. Ballot not bullet is the biggest strength of democracy. I have come to make an appeal to you to use the ballot,” he said.