Yogi Adityanath in Parliament: UP CM's teasing remark against Rahul-Akhilesh gets round of laughter, sends opposition into tizzy

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, who made an appearance in the Lok Sabha on Tuesday, took a dig at Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav and Congress vice-president Rahul Gandhi for their alliance which was defeated by the BJP by a huge margin in the state assembly election.

"I'm one year younger than Rahul ji and an year older than Akhilesh ji. The fact that I could come in between their partnership may be the reason for your (SP-Congress alliance) failure," Adityanath said.

His teasing remark resulted in a round of laughter while sending the opposition into a tizzy. He also attacked the former Samajwadi Party government for not utilizing the funds allocated to it by the Centre.

"Over the last two and a half years, the Central government allocated 2.5 lakh crore rupees to UP. But the state government utilized only Rs 78,000 crore. This was because they did not have a proper model for the state's development," he charged.

Two days after taking over as UP Chief Minister, Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday made an appearance in the Lok Sabha where he is still a member and vowed to work for development of all sections by creating a “new structure” of progress.

ALSO READ | UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Ayodhya dispute: 'We welcome SC's advice, both sides must sit down and find a solution'

Clad in his typical saffron robes, Adityanath was received warmly by the members who thumped the desks as he entered the House sometime after 4.30 pm when a debate was underway on the Finance Bill.

As he entered the House amid chants of ‘Jai Sri Ram’, there was a brief interruption in the speech by TDP member Rammohan Naidu, who stopped to extend greetings to the new UP Chief Minister.

Speaker Sumitra Mahajan also extended her greetings as did a number of other members to the member from Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh.

“You are welcome. You are the Chief Minister of UP and along with that you are a member of this House,” the Speaker said while inviting Adityanath to speak.

ALSO READ | UP CM Yogi Adityanath accepts proposal to build Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya

The name of 44-year-old UP CM, who arrived in Delhi this morning to meet Prime Minister Narendra Modi and top BJP leaders, was added to the list of speakers after he came to the House.

Adityanath, who spoke on the Bill after Naidu, laid thrust on allaying apprehensions over his taking over in UP.

“In Uttar Pradesh, the new model of development will be based on ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’,” emphasised Adityanath, who is known for his firebrand Hindutva image.

“My government will be for everyone, not specifically for any caste or community... We will work for development of all sections and castes and create a new structure of progress,” said the Chief Minister of the country’s largest state.

He said his government in the state will create a “new model” of development under the guidance of Modi.

“UP will be the state which our honourable Prime Minister has dreamt of, a corruption-free state, a state free of anarchy. It would be an incident free-state,” Adityanath said.

“Uttar Pradesh would work to make the dream of Prime Minister a reality,” he said. The state, he said, would be a model for development and the youth would not migrate.

He invited all the members of the House to visit Uttar Pradesh. “You are welcome to UP,” he said. 

What Yogi Adityanath said on Ayodhya dispute?

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday welcomed the Supreme Court’s suggestion of an out-of-court settlement of the Ayodhya dispute and said aggrieved parties must sit together to resolve it.

Terming the Supreme Court’s observation as a solid one, Adityanath said “it is a welcome step.”

“We welcome this and both sides should sit to resolve the differences and find a way out. Whatever cooperation they required from the state government, we will do that,” the chief minister, a saint himself, told reporters outside the Parliament.

The construction of Ram Temple in Ayodhya had also featured in the BJP’s manifesto for Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.

Adityanath’s remarks came in the backdrop of Supreme Court’s today’s observation that the Ayodhya temple dispute is a sensitive and sentimental issue as it asked all parties concerned to sit together for finding a solution to the controversial matter.

Video | UP CM Yogi Adityanath takes a swipe at Rahul-Akhilesh partnership in Parliament

A bench headed by Chief Justice J S Khehar said that such religious issues can be solved through negotiations and suggested that the CJI was ready to take up the task of mediating to arrive at an amicable settlement.

Earlier in the day, the BJP also welcomed the apex court’s observation and said all aggrieved parties should keep in mind the matter’s sensitivity while discussing it.

UP CM Yogi Adityanath accepts proposal to build Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya

Newly-anointed UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday accepted the proposal to build a Ramayana Museum in Ayodhya.

Union Culture and Tourism Minister Mahesh Sharma speaking to reporters said that CM Yogi Adityanath, who visited the national capital today, assured him that land for the proposed Ramayana museum will be provided in a week's time.

During the UP Assembly elections, reports were doing rounds that a 25-acre plot has been identified for it, some 15 km away from the disputed Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid complex.

The museum has been planned as a part of the Ramayana Circuit for which the Centre earlier sanctioned Rs 225 crore, with Rs 151 crore exclusively for Ayodhya.

Meanwhile the apex court today said that fresh attempts must be made by all parties concerned to find a solution to the Ayodhya Ram Janmabhoomi-Babri Masjid dispute.

The bench stressed on reaching a unanimous solution on the issue through negotiations and offered to mediate to arrive at an amicable settlement.

(With inputs from PTI)