Safaigiri Awards 2017: No one wants to name their child Akhilesh, says UP CM Yogi Adityanath
Describing Akhilesh Yadav as a "character in history", Yogi Adityanath said no one wants to keep Akhilesh as the name of their child.
In Short
- The UP CM described Akhilesh as a character in history
- He praised Zafar as one of the heroes of freedom struggle
- Being a mahant and CM are two sides of the same coin
Taking a jibe at his predecessor and Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav, firebrand Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader and Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today said no one keeps Akhilesh as their son's name.
"If I start talking about him then I think people will look back to history to find where he was. No one would want to name their kid this character in history," Adityanath said at Aaj Tak Safaigiri Awards 2017.
The two political leaders were recently engaged in a Twitter war to claim credit for Lucknow Metro which was thrown open last week. The Samajwadi Party said the chief minister inaugurated a project that Yadav had already flagged off.
Taking another potshot at his arch-rival, the CM said he wishes that Yadav remains active on social media because he isn't good enough to be active in real life with public.
ZAFAR VS JINNAH
Yogi Adityanath said if people chose Bahadur Shah Zafar as their leader instead of Muslim League leader Muhammad Ali Jinnah then India would not have been divided in 1947.
He said Zafar was the hero of our freedom struggle.
"Had the people accepted Zafar as their leader and not Jinnah, the country would not have been divided and Pakistan would not have been suffering," Adityanath said.
Zafar, who was also a prolific Urdu poet and calligrapher, died at the age of 87 in 1862 after he was exiled by the British for participating in the revolt of 1857.
During his recent Myanmar visit, Prime Minister Narendra Modi had visited the mausoleum of the Mughal emperor in Yangon.
SUCCESSOR TO MODI?
When asked about speculations that in the 2024 Lok Sabha election he may succeed Narendra Modi as the PM candidate, Adityanath said he has never been a candidate for anything - not even for the post of chief minister in Uttar Pradesh.
"The succession thing doesn't work in BJP," he said.
The UP CM said he is the same as he was before taking up the post. "My work style and even my dress has not changed," he said.
When asked about being a 'Mahant' (religious leader) and a chief minister at the same time, he said both are two sides of the same coin.
"Both are same. They are not different as both paths are about people's welfare," Adityanath said.
Among the other issues that the chief minister spoke about was the Gorakhpur tragedy in which scores of children have died at BRD Medical College.
Adityanth said the number of deaths has declined since his government took over from the Akhilesh Yadav administration. He said cleanliness can stop encephalitis deaths, as well as other diseases.
On the issue of potholes, he said out of 1.20 lakh km of roads they have already made 80,000 km free of potholes.
"After a people will realise that they did the right thing by voting for the BJP," he said.
WATCH THE FULL INTERVIEW:
CM Yogi Adityanath at Safaigiri: Cleanliness can stop encephalitis deaths, other diseases in UP
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