Yogi Adityanath, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister and one of BJP's many star campaigners, on Thursday said that he would not think twice before quitting power for the sake of party ideology and commitment. Adityanath's strongly worded rejoinder came in response to Kejriwal's claims that the former would be removed as the Uttar Pradesh CM within 2 months if PM Narendra Modi wins a third term.
Calling himself a "yogi" without any "personal ambitions", the no-nonsense Uttar Pradesh CM took a dig at Delhi CM Arvind Kejriwal and said at a rally in Hamirpur-Mahoba that the latter has lost it ever since he has been released from jail. "Since Kejriwal's release from jail, he has lost his mind. My commitment to Sanatana and Hindu religion is unflinching and I could relinquish power for its sake, even after 100 lifetimes," Adityanath said at the rally.
"He has become so greedy for the post of Chief Minister that he is trying to link his predicament with me," Adityanath further said on Kejriwal. On a funny note, Adityanath said that the people of Delhi felt relieved when Kejriwal was in jail as if their 'cough' had subsided.
Yogi accuses Kejriwal of betraying Anna Hazare
Going ahead, the Uttar Pradesh CM accused Arvind Kejriwal of betraying Anna Hazare by joining an alliance with the same Congress party that Hazare used to protest against. He further suggested that Anna Hazare might never forgive Kejriwal for his betrayal.
"He has shattered Anna Hazare's hopes. It must be disheartening for Anna to witness the kind of politics that has arisen from his movement," Adityanath said. He also noted that ever since it came to power in Delhi, the Aam Aadmi Party (AAP) has surrounded itself with corrupt individuals.
Arvind Kejriwal on Yogi Adityanath
On May 11, Kejriwal said that if the BJP wins the Lok Sabha election, Yogi Adityanath will no longer remain the Uttar Pradesh CM.
Citing examples of BJP veterans LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje, ML Khattar and Raman Singh, Kejriwal said that Yogi would removed within a period of two months.
"Political careers of LK Advani, Murli Manohar Joshi, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Vasundhara Raje, ML Khattar, Raman Singh have been finished. Next is Yogi Adityanath, If they (BJP) wins this election, they will change the CM of Uttar Pradesh within 2 months," he claimed. He further claimed the Prime Minister is a "one nation, one leader" mission.