Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath has accused the state’s previous governments of providing electricity supply to people during Muharram and Eid but not on the ocassions of Holi and Diwali, PTI reported.
The chief minister, who made the remarks at a public meeting in Domariaganj constituency in Siddharth Nagar district on Monday, alleged that those governments provided power connections on caste lines. He claimed that the situation was different now.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi had made similar remarks in the run-up to the 2017 Assembly elections in the state. “If there is electricity during Ramzan then it must be available during Diwali too,” he had said at an election rally in Fatehpur. “If it is available during Holi, it must be available during Eid. There shouldn’t be any discrimination.”
The Samajwadi Party and the Bahujan Samaj Party have taken turns to rule Uttar Pradesh between 2002 and 2017. In 2017, the Bharatiya Janata Party won over 75% seats in the Assembly and appointed Adityanath the chief minister.
At the event in Domariaganj, Adityanath also mocked the alliance between the Samajwadi Party, the Bahujan Samaj Party and the Rashtriya Lok Dal for the ongoing Lok Sabha elections.
He asked how Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav could call his BSP counterpart Mayawati “bua [paternal aunt]”. “Everyone knows that the new relationship is built to hide each other’s sins and the relationship will eventually break on May 23,” Adityanath added.
The Samajwadi Party is contesting 37 seats, the BSP 38 seats and the Rashtriya Lok Dal three seats. Modi had earlier mocked the alliance by making up an acronym “Sharab”, or liquor, with their names.
Votes cast in the Lok Sabha elections will be counted on May 23. Two more phases of voting are left on May 12 and May 19.
Limited-time offer: Big stories, small price. Keep independent media alive. Become a Scroll member today!
Our journalism is for everyone. But you can get special privileges by buying an annual Scroll Membership. Sign up today!