Congress won polls through deceit, alleges Yogi Adityanath

A day later after the BJP was thrown out of power from three major states in the Hindi heartland, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday downplayed the Congress’ victories by saying that it had achieved electoral wins through deceit.

He said during a press conference at Patna’s Mahavir temple, “The Congress’ lies will start unravelling soon, and that will make our future battles even easier.” The firebrand BJP leader had halted at the temple on his way back from Janakpur in Nepal after participating in the ‘Vivah Panchami’ celebrations at the Janaki temple.

Apparently, Adityanath, campaigned extensively for the recent assembly elections in Chhattisgarh, Madhya Pradesh, Rajasthan and Telangana. He had also met Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar during his stopover at the state capital.

While addressing mediapersons, the BJP leader said that victories and defeats were part of the democratic process and one should accept both outcomes in all humility. Adityanath also claimed, “But we never bask in our victories while blaming our defeats on electronic voting machines (EVMs), unlike our rivals who practice serious double standards in this regard. When they win, they immediately start worshipping the EVMs.”

However, Adityanath, rejected suggestions that his reported comment on Lord Hanuman’s caste had antagonised voters. He retorted saying, “I did not say anything about Bajrang Bali’s caste. I only said that Lord Hanuman resides in spirituality, and spirituality exists in people of all caste.”

Notably, a right-wing group in Rajasthan has sent a legal notice to the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister, asking him to apologise within three days for allegedly calling the Hindu deity a Dalit during an election rally in Alwar district.

Meanwhile, the Congress scored a thumping win in Chhattisgarh, won by a narrow margin in Rajasthan, and emerged victorious in Madhya Pradesh in alliance with the Bahujan Samaj Party and Independents.

Also read: Telangana: 73 of 119 newly elected MLAs have criminal records, ADR report