INTERVIEW: Will not allow to spread anarchy, incite riots, says Yogi

Nationalism, development and good governance have been the agenda of the BJP. The public are aware that the BJP will provide them security and strive for the upliftment of people belonging to all walks of life irrespective of caste, creed or religion. The trends of the three phases so far indicate that the people are in favour of BJP, says Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath while speaking to ETV Bharat UP bureau chief Alok Tripathi in an exclusive interview.

Lucknow (Uttar Pradesh):Three phases of voting has been completed for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections. The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) is leaving no stone unturned to come back to power. The party's Centre and state veteran leaders, including Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, are toiling day and night in the election campaign.

ETV Bharat UP bureau chief Alok Tripathi spoke to Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath in an exclusive interview on elections and his take on SP and other issues, including hijab row.

What is the position of the party after the three phases of polling?

Yogi Adityanath: Nationalism, development and good governance have been the agenda of the BJP. The public are aware that the BJP will provide them security and strive for the upliftment of people belonging to all walks of life irrespective of caste, creed or religion. The trends of the three phases so far indicate that the people are in favour of the BJP.

The father of one of the accused sentenced in the Ahmedabad serial blasts was seen with SP President Akhilesh Yadav in a photo that went viral, what is your take on this?

Yogi Adityanath: The history of the Samajwadi Party has been very bad. In 2013, when the SP government was at the helm, it had tried to withdraw the cases registered against terrorists related to all the incidents that had happened earlier in the state and during their tenure. The history of the SP government has been that of indulging in vote bank politics for its political interests. The party had worked to provide shelter to goons and mafia in the state. This is the history of SP and everyone is aware of it.

Three days ago a Gujarat court has given a verdict on the serial blasts. Among 38 convicts, who have been sentenced to death and 11 have been awarded life imprisonment. Nine of them belong to Uttar Pradesh. Most of the terrorists in the state are in and around Sanjarpur village in Azamgarh. A terrorist from Sanjarpur, whose brother is also related to the Batla House incident in Delhi, fled to Syria and is a declared terrorist. His father is an active worker and campaigns for SP.

It makes me wonder why Akhilesh Yadav, the chief of the Samajwadi Party, who reacts to every small and big incident, is silent on the 2013 incident and what has come out after the verdict on terrorists in Gujarat.

How do you see SP chief Akhilesh Yadav ridiculing your action against mafia and calling you 'bulldozer wale baba'?

Yogi Adityanath: It is unfortunate that SP was in power in the state four times. But, it had never worked for the benefit of the poor, youth and farmers of the state. It is ironic that the party has a soft corner towards terrorists.

Therefore, there is no fear among mafia and criminals as SP used to provide them shelter. We did what we said. We have taken strict action against the criminals. The next BJP government will continue to work without compromising on the issue of development and security.

Your government came into the limelight throughout the country by starting sabotage and recovery of damages from rioters. Right now, the recovery notices have been withdrawn after the intervention of the Supreme Court. If your government comes to power again, what will you do about it?

Yogi Adityanath: The Supreme Court has said the same, which we have already done. The action we took to recover from the rioters was an administrative order. Later, we made the Act. Three tribunals have been constituted. The court has said that you can recover through tribunal and not by administrative order. Now, action will be taken accordingly.

How do you view the hijab controversy?

Yogi Adityanath: The matter has come up in Karnataka. I believe that the system of the country will be run by the Constitution. Not by Personal Law or Shariah. You can have your own outfit inside the house, but in any institution, where there is a dress code. That should apply.

There is an allegation of failure of your government in the second wave of Corona, what do you say about it?

Yogi Adityanath: Where were the leaders of SP, BSP and Congress during the Corona? At that time all these parties were missing and in home isolation. Only the Central and State governments were active. We made good arrangements. Our Corona management is praised in the country and the world.

You have a long list of development works, how do the issues of Jinnah and terrorism come up in elections?

Yogi Adityanath: I only wanted to take forward the issue of development. When the whole country was celebrating the birth anniversary of Sardar Vallabhbhai Patel, the Samajwadi Party was glorifying Jinnah on that day. The day we were giving smartphones to the youth of the state, SP was praising Pakistan. It is the SP, which brought the issue, but not our party. We are in the fray, with the slogan 'Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas'.

How many seats can BJP win in this election?

Yogi Adityanath: The fight is 80 vs 20. Those who think positively, are nationalists and support welfare schemes come in the 80 per cent bracket while those who like mafia rule, crime, anarchy and corruption come in the 20 per cent. So, the BJP is getting 80 per cent of the votes.