Yogi Adityanath drives BJP Hindutva campaign in eastern Uttar Pradesh

Gorakhpur: Construction of the Ram temple may not be on the BJP's manifesto for the Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls but Yogi Adityanath makes it clear that a saffron government in Lucknow will pave the way for it.Uttar Pradesh Assembly polls but Yogi Adityanath makes it clear that a saffron government in Lucknow will pave the way for it.

The fifth-term Lok Sabha member is the mascot of the party's Hindutva-wrapped agenda of development as the BJP makes a final push in its bid to capture power in the state in the last two phases of elections to be held in 89 seats.

The party won only 11 of these seats in 2012.

In one public meeting after another, he comes hard on the Samajwadi Party's "Muslim appeasement" and promises that a BJP government will protect their (Hindus') interests.

"The SP government's development is all about development of 'kabristan'. If a BJP government comes to power, it will not happen that they (Muslims) will be allowed to have a DJ show in their festival but not you during Durga Puja. The interests of the majority community have been betrayed.

"If a SP government comes back to power, then money meant for your development will go into developing kabristan. A BJP government will pave the way for the Ram temple construction," Adityanath (45) says in a string of public meetings covering different Assembly constituencies.

He tells the PTI that his agenda is of development for all but it is against the SP and BSP politics of appeasement of one community. He declined to elaborate, saying what he has to say he has said in his meetings.

In Berhampur, he lists a number of development works of the Narendra Modi government, including its decision to connect Gorakhpur to big cities like Lucknow, Delhi and Mumbai through highways, and announcement of an AIIMS here, as he exhorts the crowd of mostly Dalits and extremely backward castes to vote for the BJP.