LUCKNOW, Aug 21: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday hit out at Akhilesh Yadav over his ‘PDA’ slogan, accusing the Samajwadi Party president of showing disrespect towards OBC leader and former CM Kalyan Singh.
Speaking at the ‘Hindu Gaurav Divas’ event on the third death anniversary of Singh, Adityanath targeted Yadav for not paying tributes to Singh, a major figure in the Ram Temple movement, “instead mourning the death of gangster Mukhtar Ansari”.
Singh, who was the chief minister when the Babri mosque in Ayodhya was attacked by ‘karsevaks’ on December 6, 1992, passed away on August 21, 2021. He was posthumously awarded the country’s second highest civilian honour Padma Vibhushan.
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“The SP chief (Akhilesh Yadav) did not pay tributes to Babu Ji (Kalyan Singh) upon his demise, but went to offer prayers at the grave of a notorious mafia don (Mukhtar Ansari) whose hands were stained with the blood of hundreds of Hindus. Is this what PDA stands for? This is the true character of PDA,” Adityanath said.
He further said that the SP’s actions reveal its true nature.
“To understand their character, look at the incidents involving girls in Ayodhya and Kannauj. That’s their character. Unless we confront them unitedly, they will continue to deceive and mislead the people of this state,” he said.
The PDA (pichhde, Dalit, alpsankhyak) slogan, introduced by SP president Yadav before the recent Lok Sabha elections, aimed to unite backward, Dalit and minority communities.
The SP and its ally Congress won 43 out of 80 Lok Sabha seats in Uttar Pradesh in the elections, posing a significant challenge to the BJP.
Adityanath emphasised the importance of Hindu unity.
“Hinduism is not a caste, sect, or religion. It is the guarantee of India’s security, unity and integrity. As long as Sanatan Dharma remains unbroken, India will remain intact. If it disintegrates, the country will be shattered piece by piece. We must not allow this to happen,” he said.
Without naming anyone, Adityanath said, “Those who attempt to divide are different in their character and face. Whenever they have had the opportunity, they have harmed Sanatan Dharma.”
Recalling Kalyan Singh’s contributions to the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, Adityanath praised him for standing firm against the pressure of the time.
“On December 6, 1992, when the central government pressured to shoot at the karsevaks in Ayodhya, then Chief Minister Babu Ji (Kalyan Singh) refused and said he would resign if necessary. He chose the path of struggle over holding onto his position,” he said.
The chief minister also noted that Singh never endorsed casteism and always maintained distance from forces that sought to divide society.
Singh, according to Adityanath, lived by values and saw politics as a means to uphold principles rather than personal gain.
“In the times when Ram devotees were shot at in Ayodhya (in 1990), the then government was dividing Hindus and firing at devotees. The one who stood against this was Kalyan Singh. He vowed never to let the poison of casteism divide India’s social fabric,” he added. (PTI)
