Lucknow: A BJP leader has come up with a mathematical explanation about Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s ’80 vs 20′ comment. In an interview with NDTV, BJP’s Alok Vats states that Yogi Adityanath never referred to Muslims. Yogi Adityanath’s comment in which he said that 80 percent of people in the state support BJP while 20 percent oppose it, is widely seen as pitting the state’s 80 percent Hindu population against the 20 percent minorities.
Uttar Pradesh has 79.73 percent of the Hindu population, the Muslim population is at 19.26 percent, Christians are 0.18 percent and Sikhs are at 0.32 percent, according to the census.
On this Alok Vats says that Yogi never referred to Muslims or other minorities “It’s not the Muslims that Yogi had talked about, I will give you the details of the 20%. This 20% consists of 9 percent of criminals and anti-social elements, 3.5% are land grabbers, 2% are those who commit atrocities against women, people who are pro-Pakistan are 2%, people who are against ‘Vande Mataram’ are 1.5%. These people consist of that 20 percent,” said in the interview.
When NDTV’s Sanket Upadhyay pressed him on the source of his data, he shot back: “Social study, living in the society you can make out who these people are.”
“Which social study, bhaiya?” burst out Congress spokesperson Supriya Srinate, a panelist on the show, to which the BJP leader angrily replied, “Why are you laughing and relating it to Muslims? When did he (Yogi Adityanath) say that?”
In an event organized by a private news channel Yogi Adityanath, “The contest has moved much ahead,” the saffron-robed Chief Minister replied. “The fight is now 80 versus 20,” he added. The host of the session then said, “Owaisi says it is 19 percent.” Asaduddin Owaisi heads the All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen or AIMIM. Yogi Adityanath cut short the question by the host. “80 percent is those who are supporters of nationalism, good governance, and development. Such people will vote for the BJP and those who are against this and supporters of mafias and criminals, anti-farmer and village, such 15-20 people will take a different path. So, in this 80-20 fight, it is the lotus that will show the way,” the Chief Minister said, referring to the BJP’s election symbol.
For the last few months, the Chief Minister has been using “abba jaan” or “people who say abba jaan” in what was seen as a barb against Muslims and his predecessor Akhilesh Yadav, the Samajwadi Party chief.
“Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, there is no place for appeasement politics… Before 2017, everyone was able to get ration? Only those who used to say abba jaan were digesting ration,” Yogi Adityanath had said at an event in UP’s Kushinagar on September 12 last year. The Samajwadi Party had lost the election in 2017.
UP will vote in seven phases starting February 10. Votes will be counted on March 10.
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