Keep your 'Ali', 'Bajrang Bali' is enough for us: Yogi Adityanath's response to Kamal Nath

In a desperate attempt to polarise voters, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday took a dig at senor Congress leader Kamal Nath, saying "keep your Ali, Bajrang Bali is enough for us." Adityanath’s statement came after a video, in which Congress' Madhya Pradesh chief Kamal Nath is reportedly heard asking his volunteers to focus on Muslim votes, went viral on social media.  

"I saw a video where Kamal Nath was saying we don't need votes of OBCs, SC, ST communities, we want the votes of 'Ali' (Muslim community). I want to tell him you keep your ‘Ali', for us (BJP) 'Bajrangbali' (Lord Hanuman) is enough," Adityanath said while addressing a rally in poll-bound Madhya Pradesh’s Khurai.   

Kamal Nath ji ka ek bayaan mai padh raha tha, unhone kaha ki hamein SC/ST ka vote nahi chahiye, Congress ko keval muslimo ka vote chahiye. Kamal Nath ji aap ko yeh Ali mubarak, hamare liye Bajrangbali paryaapt honge: UP CM Yogi Adityanath in Bhopal #MadhyaPradeshElections pic.twitter.com/cKncwW1DmQ

— ANI (@ANI) November 24, 2018

The UP chief minister on Saturday addressed seven rallies in Bhopal, Indore and Ujjain range. Campaigning for the Madhya Pradesh assembly elections ends on November 26.  The state goes to polls on November 28 and the result of which will be announced on December 11.

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In the viral video, Kamal Nath is heard saying:  "If 90 per cent Muslims don't vote for us, we could suffer a huge loss. If at some booths the polling percentage is 60%, we need to find out why was there a dip in voting…We don't need 80 per cent, but 90 per cent of Muslims to come out and vote for us." 

The ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) attacked the main opposition party over the issue, saying it only cared for Muslim appeasement. The Congress, however, dubbed it a conspiracy by the saffron party to divide voters on communal lines    

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Adityanath also blasted Congress president Rahul Gandhi over his promise of waiving farm loans within 10 days of coming to power.

"Rahul Gandhi repeatedly says that he will waive off the loans of farmers in Madhya Pradesh and Chhattisgarh. But the Congress is yet to do any such thing in Punjab, where it is in power. Why is that?" he questioned.