Defense Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s “80 versus 20” statement should not be seen with a “Hindu-Muslim” lens. In an interview with News18, he talked about the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the ruling BJP’s performance in the state, the Opposition’s attack on the saffron party among several other issues.
Here are some top quotes by Rajnath Singh during the interview from Lucknow:
On CM Yogi’s 80 vs 20 mark: Defense minister Rajnath Singh said he did not know exactly why Adityanath had made this statement, but it was wrong to make it a Hindu-Muslim issue. “Maybe he meant it on the basis of Modi ji’s popularity as opposed to opposition parties. We should not give it a Hindu-Muslim angle,” he added.
On BJP’s fate in UP: The defense minister exuded confidence on the BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh. “The wind is clear in Uttar Pradesh and it’s so strong that no one has any doubt. The popularity of Yogi ji has increased in the state and we are going to form the government once again. We (BJP) not only protect Hindus, we also work for the development of all sections of society,” he said.
On anti-incumbency: Rajnath Singh dismissed any idea of anti-incumbency in the state. He said, “The (Narendra) Modi government came to power in 2014, but we were elected once again in 2019. For us, there is no anti-incumbency. It’s only pro-incumbency and the same will happen in UP too.”
On farmers’ protests: Singh did not mince his words, saying farmer leaders misunderstood the three farm laws and all efforts were made to make them see reason. “I would like to say that the kind of sensitivity shown by Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi should be appreciated. He did a charismatic job by withdrawing the three farm laws,” he said.
On Yogi Adityanath as CM: He said there was no doubt that he will become the CM once again. “Yogi ji is fighting the elections, where is the doubt? Yogi ji was the CM, and he is the CM candidate too.”
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