Mumbai: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday hit out at the Opposition for initiating impeachment notices against Rajya Sabha chairman Jagdeep Dhankhar and Allahabad High Court’s Justice Shekhar Kumar Yadav, saying “whoever speaks the truth” is threatened in this way.
Speaking at the World Hindu Economic Forum 2024, he also accused the Congress of practicing double standards.
“Whoever speaks the truth, these people will pressurise him with impeachment (motions), and still they talk about the Constitution. Look at their double standards.
He said the Opposition is “trying to intimidate individuals speaking the truth, including judges, who highlight societal realities through cultural and social organisations”. “Such truth-suppressing people must be exposed before society,” the CM said.
He said the country must move beyond the division of majority and minority communities. “In most nations, societal systems align with the sentiments of the majority population. Similarly, in India, the majority is advocating for the removal of such distinctions, but some groups are opposing this idea by using coercion and silencing voices of truth,” he said.
Criticising these groups for “undermining the Constitution and attempting to dictate the country’s system by force”, Adityanath said the nation is observing these actions and there is a need to expose such behaviour.
He accused the Congress-led Opposition of “hypocrisy”, stating that they filed a motion against Vice President Jagdeep Dhankar, who is also the Rajya Sabha Chairman. Accusing the Opposition of “practicing double standards”, he said, they are trying to “silence those who speak the truth” by threatening impeachment while “claiming to uphold the Constitution”.
He also accused some Congress leaders of denying India’s identity and attempting to undermine the country’s rich culture, traditions, languages and the role of women in society. He said, “Such individuals are constantly working to diminish India’s pride and heritage”.
Referring to epics such as the Ramayana and Mahabharata, CM Yogi said Maharishi Ved Vyas was not affiliated with the RSS or the BJP. Taking a jibe at Leader of Opposition in Lok Sabha Rahul Gandhi, he said, “highly intellectual figures like him may even claim that Ved Vyas attended RSS meetings”.
“As long as such people remain active, these attempts to discredit India’s legacy will continue,” he said.
The CM lauded Vice President Dhankhar for upholding constitutional dignity while effectively managing the Upper House. He said Dhankhar’s rise through merit and capability has “upset” the Opposition. “They cannot accept how a farmer’s son has achieved such a position, as it once belonged to a particular family.”
Declaring that this is the “new Uttar Pradesh of a new India”, the CM said that the state’s GDP, which was Rs 12.5 crore to Rs 13 crore from 2012 to 2017,is set to grow to ?32 lakh crore by March 2025.
Criticising the flawed policies of previous governments, Adityanath recalled an incident from 2007 when former Finance Minister P Chidambaram visited Uttar Pradesh. He said, “During the launch of his book ‘A View from the Outside: Why good economics works for everyone’, Chidambaram had said that India was never a wealthy nation and continues to face poverty today. He even suggested that books describing India as the ‘land of milk and honey’ or the ‘golden bird’ should be burnt.”
“What can be expected from leaders with such views, who also disrespect India’s heritage by calling Lord Ram and Lord Krishna myths,” he said.
Outlining the reforms that have “reshaped Uttar Pradesh’s identity and economy”, he emphasised that UP’s share in the nation’s GDP has grown to 9.2%, and the state has “risen from the 10th largest economy in the country to a leading position”.
“Unique products from 57 of UP’s 75 districts are now recognised globally, contributing to exports worth ?2 lakh crore annually. The second Global Investors Summit attracted investment proposals worth ?40 lakh crore,” he said.
