As voting was underway for the second phase of Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections on Monday, 14 February, CM Yogi Adityanath in an interview to ANI said that the the '80 vs 20' remark that he had made in an event organised by a news channel was not in a religious context.
"It is a reaction to action. I said that 80 percent people are with the BJP and 20 percent always oppose us and they will do so this time too. I didn't say it in the context of religion or caste," he told ANI.
"The 20 percent includes people with a negative mentality who always oppose us and support the mafias and criminals. After the first phase of polls, it is clear that this election is truly '80 vs 20'," he added.
He also said that after the first phase, it is clear that the BJP will form the government again in UP with an overwhelming majority and that the 'double-engine government' will return to power by achieving the 300-seat mark.
(Catch live updates of the second phase of polling for UP Assembly elections here.)
On Remarks Against Kerala, West Bengal
Elaborating on his remarks against Kerala and West Bengal that raked up a political storm, Adityanath said that unlike the two states, UP did not see any post-poll violence.
"The first phase of Assembly elections concluded peacefully. Was there any incident of violence in UP? Earlier, riots took place, anarchy prevailed and hooliganism was at its peak. Do polls happen in Bengal as peacefully?" he said.
He further said that barbarism was unleashed on BJP workers in the last Bengal Assembly polls, booths were captured and hundreds were killed and that similar incidents took place Kerala too.
"There was a lot of violence and political killings in both these states. Did it happen in UP?" he added.
'Can't Ask People in Public Institutions to Wear Bhagwa': Yogi on Hijab Row
Amid the ongoing controversy in several Karnataka schools and colleges over Muslim girls wearing a hijab with the uniform, Adityanath said that the Modi government ensured that laws of the Constitution take precedence over the Shariat.
"The system should run as per the Constitution. We can't impose our personal religious beliefs and choices on the country and its institutions. Can I ask all employees in UP to wear 'bhagwa'? Dress code must be enforced in schools," he said.
Yogi's comments also came in the context of AIMIM Chief and MP Asaduddin Owaisi's recent remark that a 'hijab-clad woman might become India's Prime Minister some day.'
Further hailing the scrapping of triple talaq, he said that the Modi government has always cared about the rights and dignity of Muslim women.
No Riots or Curfew in UP After 2017
Reacting to the Opposition's 'thoko raaj' remark against the BJP government over encounter killings in UP, Yogi Adityanath in an interview to ANI said that every person should fear the law.
"Before 2017, there were riots every 3-4 days, with curfew being in force for months. On the contrary, no riots have taken place and no curfew was imposed in the last five years," he said.
Attack on 'Gandhi Siblings', Akhilesh Yadav
Adityanath also attacked Congress leaders Rahul Gandhi and Priyanka Gandhi Vadra saying that the siblings are enough to destroy their party.
Targeting former CM and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav over his claims of "political witch-hunt" against Opposition leader by the state government, he said: "Even Akhilesh doesn't want Azam Khan to come out of jail because it will pose a threat to his position. The state government has nothing to do with these cases whether they are related to Azam Khan or anyone else. It is the court that grants bail."
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