The Communist Party of India (Marxist) general secretary Sitaram Yechury on Monday lashed out at Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, alleging that the BJP is raising the hijab issue in elections to divert attention from issues like unemployment, inflation and starvation.
Speaking to ANI, Yechury said that question before the people in the ongoing elections is starvation. "Whether people will get employment or not? Whether people will stay alive or not? All these questions need answers, but the BJP is bringing the hijab issue to divert attention from real issues," said Yechury.
The CPI (M) leader said that the BJP has no answers to the big issues agitating the people. "They have no answer on what they are doing for people to stay alive. The common man is not accepting this. This time their defeat in the elections is certain," Yechury told ANI.
He also attacked the UP Chief Minister for defending his statement that the state can become like West Bengal, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir if the BJP is not voted to power.
"Comparing (UP) with Kerala is humorous; NITI Aayog of the (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi government had put out the figures of states in which Kerala has been ranked number one. Kerala is the best state in terms of the Human Development Index and Law and Order and Governance. If UP wants to become a state like Kerala, then people of Uttar Pradesh must defeat the BJP," Yechury said.
Former Rajya Sabha MP Yechury further accused Adityanath of withdrawing all criminal cases against himself as soon as he became the Chief Minister and of taking the law and order for a ride ever since.
"The UP CM is talking about law and order? Remember as soon as he became the Chief Minister, he withdrew all the criminal cases against himself? This is the law and order in UP. What happened in Lakhimpur Kheri? Union Minister's son was the prime accused according to the SIT. Gang rape and murder of Dalit girl in Hathras. All these underlines their law and order" he said.
Further, Yechury alleged that the UP CM is targetting West Bengal, Kerala and Jammu and Kashmir because there the minorities are not subjected to the kind of atrocities like in UP.
"Their comparison means that they have no agenda except for communal polarization so that he can seek votes from the people," he added.
( With inputs from ANI )
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