Yogi Adityanath rakes up temple, Article 370 in Bihar poll campaign

Budhawal (Rohtas): Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath hit the campaign trail in election-bound Bihar on Tuesday and appealed to voters to ensure the return of Nitish Kumar-headed NDA government, highlighting mainly the foundation laying of Ram temple in Ayodhya and abrogation of Article 370 in his 20-minute speech.

He was addressing an election meeting at Budhawal village in Rohtas district. Budhawal is part of the Karakat assembly seat. The waterproof tent installed on the high school ground at Budhawal was full to its capacity.

Earlier in the day, Adityanath addressed two election meetings at Arwal (Arwal district) and Ramgarh (Kaimur) seeking votes for the NDA candidates.

Both Rohtas and Kaimur districts share boundaries with Uttar Pradesh.

Noting the impressive turnout, Adityanath underlined the need for wearing masks and maintaining a physical distance of at least two yards. “Jab tak corona ka upchaar nahin aa jaata, bachao hi upaay hai (prevention is the only solution till a cure is found for coronavirus),” he said at the very beginning of his speech. He also credited the Centre and the state governments for curbing the spread of the pandemic.

Recalling the Centre’s August 2019 decision to abrogate the special status accorded to Jammu and Kashmir under Article 370 of the Constitution, the UP CM said pro-Pakistani terrorists would now not be in position to kill India’s jawans in Kashmir. He especially mentioned the BJP’s slogan “Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat - Kashmir Se Kanyakumari Tak (One India, Best India – from Kashmir to Kanyakumari)”.

He told the voters that with Prime Minister Narendra Modi laying the foundation stone on August 5 for the construction of Ram temple at Ayodhya, the BJP has fulfilled its promise.

Attacking the Congress and the RJD, Adityanath said these parties never put the people’s welfare above the interest of their own families. For the BJP, he said, the whole country is a family. “Ye party hahin parivar hai. Parivar hi party hai (This is not a party, but a family. The family is their party),” he said, referring to the RJD.

He also targeted the RJD for its alliance with the CPI (ML), recalling the violence which had hit Bihar in 1990s. “Our aim is to end Naxalism,” he said.

The Karakat seat, in which Budhawal village falls, has been allotted to the CPI (ML) under the seat- sharing arrangement in the opposition alliance of the RJD, Congress and Left parties. The CPI (ML)'s nominee is Arun Kumar while the BJP has fielded Rajeshwar Raj.

Adityanath also highlighted the Modi government’s welfare schemes such as Ayushman Bharat health insurance scheme, houses for all, construction of toilets and Ujjwala Yojana, under which LPG connections are provided to women belonging to below poverty line households.