On Wednesday, Yogi Adityanath, the chief minister of Uttar Pradesh, spoke a few lines in Kannada seeking support for the Bharatiya Janata Party candidates during his election campaign in the state. He addressed an election campaign rally in Mandya in Karnataka, apart from participating in a road show. Mandya MP Sumalatha Ambareesh and BJP candidates from all seven assembly constituencies from the district were present in the roadshow.
Netizens appreciated the gesture and praised the BJP veteran for his attempt to speak a few lines in Kannada in Karnataka.
Yogi ji speaking fluent Kannada 😍😂
— Wali- ವಾಲಿ (@bhairav_hara) April 27, 2023
Jai Karnataka Maate🔥 pic.twitter.com/sTiNYivbMO
A user complimented Yogi Adtiyanath for managing to speak in a non-native language.
Chennagi Matadidri @myogiadityanath ji🔥❤😁…. Dhanyavaadagalu…🙏…It was like a tongue twister for him.😃..Still managed it well…👍
— Kavita (@Kavita248866721) April 27, 2023
One commented that the CM knows all the languages.
Vo sab bhasa jante hai.
— Ab (@ab_tagor) April 27, 2023
Yogi Adtiyanath, according to Bilkul Sahi, makes people understand in the language they speak.
Jisko jo bhasha aati hai Yogi usko usi bhasha mein samjhaatey hain 😂
— Bilkul Sahi 🇮🇳 (@BilkulSahi) April 27, 2023
In his address, Yogi Adityanath said the country was split in the name of religion in 1947 and BJP will not allow the nation to be divided again on reservation based on religion. He further asserted that since the country was split along religious lines in 1947, reservations for Muslims were impossible, referring to to the promise of Congress of bringing back the 4% reservation for OBC Muslims in Karnataka which was recently revoked by the BJP govt in the state.
The UP CM said, “We have given reservations based on castes but there has been a division of the country based on religion in 1947 and, as a result, reservation cannot be provided based on religion. We are not ready for an internal division. Only the vision of ‘One India and Excellent India’ will take the country forward.”
The BJP stalwart also accused the Congress of backing groups like the Popular Front of India (PFI). He was on a day-long election campaign visit across regions in Karnataka that are considered to have some amount of Hindutva sway.
“In the last six years, there has been no rioting and no curfew in UP. I want to congratulate the double-engine government for banning outfits like the PFI, and the outfit’s spine has been broken in Karnataka. Please think about it, the double-engine government bans the PFI and on the other side, the Congress promotes the PFI. The Congress gives reservations based on religion. Reservation based on religion is against the constitution of India,” he asserted.
#BJPWinningKarnataka #BJPYeBharavase #DoubleEnginevsReverseGear pic.twitter.com/D9HLji3q7g
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 26, 2023
Congress leaders have openly sought the support of the Social Democratic Party of India (SDPI), the student wing of the banned terrorist group PFI in the forthcoming Karnataka elections.
“We have given reservations based on castes but there has been a division of the country based on religion in 1947 and, as a result, reservation cannot be provided based on religion. We are not ready for an internal division. Only the vision of ‘One India and Excellent India’ will take the country forward,” the UP CM remarked.
हम भारत की एकता और अखंडता के साथ खिलवाड़ करने की छूट किसी को नहीं दे सकते हैं… pic.twitter.com/aK1oFfei4I
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) April 26, 2023
Congress has repeatedly reaffirmed the party’s commitment to restore 4% Muslim reservation if the party come to power in the election-bound state.
Recently, the BJP has made an effort to portray the relationship between Yogi Adityanath’s Natha Panth organisation and the Vokkaligas’ Adichunchungiri Mutt as a sign of their strong links. The BJP leader has frequently stated that the southern state and Uttar Pradesh have a close connection and that Bhagwan Shree Manjunath and the Adichunchungiri Mutt’s customs have brought the Gorakhnath tradition there.
उत्तर प्रदेश और कर्नाटक का संबंध आज से नहीं, त्रेतायुग से है।
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) April 26, 2023
मर्यादा पुरुषोत्तम भगवान श्री राम के वनवास के सबसे अभिन्न सहयोगी श्री हनुमान जी का जन्म इसी कर्नाटक की धरती पर हुआ था… pic.twitter.com/IMWTJ1tv6Q
In addition to Mandya, which has a Hindutva undercurrent because of the religiosity of the Vokkaligas, Yogi Adityanath also campaigned in north Karnataka’s Vijayapura district.
“Jagajyothi Basveshwara introduced the democratic system to the whole world. India is not only the world’s biggest democracy but also the mother of democracy. I pay obeisances to this holy land where the great Jagadguru Basaveshwar was born,” he declared.
ನಮ್ಮ ದೇಶ ಪ್ರಜಾಪ್ರಭುತ್ವದ ಜನನಿ. ಪ್ರಜಾತಂತ್ರ ವ್ಯವಸ್ಥೆಯನ್ನು ಇಡೀ ಲೋಕಕ್ಕೇ ಪರಿಚಯಿಸಿದವರು ಜಗಜ್ಯೋತಿ ಬಸವೇಶ್ವರರು. ಮಹಾಮಹಿಮರಾದ ಜಗದ್ಗುರು ಬಸವೇಶ್ವರರು ಜನಿಸಿದ ಈ ಪುಣ್ಯಭೂಮಿಗೆ ಕೋಟಿ ಕೋಟಿ ನಮನಗಳು.
— BJP Karnataka (@BJP4Karnataka) April 26, 2023
– ಶ್ರೀ @myogiadityanath#BJPMahaPracharaAbhiyana #BJPWinningKarnataka #BJPYeBharavase pic.twitter.com/IG4c4RaxeP
“Congress and JDS divide people and foster corruption. They lack any principles or convictions. They are visionless. The leadership and vision of PM Modi are quite evident. He adheres to his “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas,” slogan,” he observed.
कांग्रेस हो या जेडीएस, ये विभाजन करते हैं… pic.twitter.com/SWENEIqx0D
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) April 26, 2023
The chief priest of the Gorakhnath Math also extended an invitation to attend the Ayodhya Ram Temple upon the prime minister’s inauguration in January 2024. “I have come to invite you as well. You have contributed to the Ram Janam Bhoomi movement, and a grand temple is being built in Ayodhya. In January 2024, the mandir will be completed and with the efforts of PM Modi, the temple will have its Ram Lalla idol in its place.”
मैं आप सभी बजरंगबली के भक्तों को आमंत्रित करने के लिए आया हूं… pic.twitter.com/2jHeDB1KVW
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) April 26, 2023
“It will be the first time in 500 years that Lord Ram will be seated in his own temple. It is going to be a proud moment for all Indians. I have come to invite all devotees of Bajrangbali (Lord Hanuman) for the event of seating the Ram Lalla idol,” he announced. He also mentioned that Lord Hanuman, who was a close associate of Lord Ram, had origins in Karnataka.
“India has everything but there was no leadership before 2014. It was after 2014 that India got the leadership of PM Narendra Modi. The Congress talks about development, but the Congress’s legacy in development is the five-year plans. Projects were never completed. This is the reality of the Congress,” BJP’s star campaigner charged. He also voiced that Karnataka’s prestige has to be restored by embracing progress.
“Today, you can see that railway projects, airport projects, IITs and IIMs are being built, IT cities are being built, and work is happening in the agriculture sector. The day the foundation stone is laid for a project, the inauguration date is also fixed. PM Modi, who lays the foundation stone, will also carry out the inauguration,” he noted.
He proclaimed, “Only our double-engine government can guarantee progress and security. India under the able guidance of PM Modi works as a team. Karnataka has to decide how many players it wants to send to Team India. The more seats BJP win, the stronger leadership you will get. Congress has a failed engine but our double-engine government will bring prosperity under the captainship of PM Modi which every Indian is proud of.”
Team India के Captain के रूप में आदरणीय प्रधानमंत्री श्री @narendramodi जी का नेतृत्व मिल रहा है… pic.twitter.com/CAkKxnGVcX
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) April 26, 2023
The CM of the northern state also held a massive roadshow before his rally.
#WATCH | Uttar Pradesh CM & BJP leader Yogi Adityanath holds a roadshow in Mandya district of Karnataka ahead of Assembly elections. He will also address a public rally here. pic.twitter.com/fC33HO5UH8
— ANI (@ANI) April 26, 2023
Yogi Adityanath enjoys a significant following in Mandya due to his reputation as “Bulldozer Baba.” Thimappa, a farmer from Maddur who attended the gathering, explained, “He has instilled fear among criminals in UP, but over here, the government is very soft.”
“He eliminated all of the thugs in his region. The bulldozer talks in UP,” opined Ramesh N, another farmer at his rally. “For the BJP, it is a now-or-never moment in Mandya. In the village areas, they are weak, but in the city, they have a following,” he added.
