New Delhi: With the elections in sight, politics in Uttar Pradesh is returning to the basics – religion and polarisation – despite the much-publicised poll pitch by all parties, including the BJP and Prime Minister Narendra Modi, revolving around development, good governance etc.
Split in upper caste votes expected
- Observers say polarisation of votes will benefit BJP amid “anger against the party and Aditayanth” over various issues, including “mismanagement” during the second wave of Covid.
- A split is expected in the upper caste votes over allegations of preferential treatment to the Thakur community. Reports say people are fed up with animals playing havoc in agriculture fields.
When Samajwadi Party leader Akhilesh Yadav responded to a BJP leader’s comment that “Lord Krishna told him in his dreams that Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath will contest from Mathura”, with a comment that Lord Krishna blesses him every night in his dreams for a victory (in upcoming elections), Adityanath retaliated with the observation that Lord Krishna “must be cursing” those who did nothing for Mathura and Vrindavan when in power.
Speaking at an event, Adityanath said some people must be seeing Lord Krishna in their dreams “who must be telling them to at least cry now on their past failures”.
“What you could not do, the BJP government has done. Lord Krishna must be cursing them because he must be telling them when you were in power you did nothing for Mathura and Vrindavan,” Adityanath was quoted as saying in reference to the two holy cities in western UP linked to Lord Krishna.
Recently, BJP leader Harnath Singh had said, “I had dreams that Yogi Adityanath ji should contest from Mathura and I felt that Lord Krishna was directing me to act as a mediator.” adding that he had also written to BJP president JP Nadda suggesting the same.
Responding in a lighter vein, the SP supremo had on Monday said that Lord Krishna comes to his dream every night to tell him that he will form the next government and establish ‘Ram Rajya’ in Uttar Pradesh. “The way to Ram Rajya is through the path of ‘samajwad’ (socialism). The day ‘samajwad’ is established, the ‘Ram Rajya’ will be there in the state,” Akhilesh had said.