Yogi’s jibe draws ire from Pinarayi, Omar

New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh can become Kashmir, Kerala or Bengal if BJP is not voted back to power, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said hours before the first round of elections in UP on Thursday, evoking sharp reactions from opposition leaders, including from the three states, as they alleged that it was an attempt to polarise people in the state.

Reacting strongly to the UP CM’s comments, his Kerala counterpart Pinarayi Vijayan said if the north Indian state develops like Kerala, people will enjoy the peace and better living conditions while Congress leader Shashi Tharoor took a dig at Yogi Adityanath, saying UP “should be so lucky” as Kashmir’s beauty, Bengal’s culture and Kerala’s education would do wonders for the place. While non-BJP political parties in West Bengal alleged that it was an “attempt to polarise people of his state” and will fail, National Conference leader Omar Abdullah attacked Yogi Aditynath, saying “he should be so lucky. J&K has less poverty, better human development indices, less crime & generally better standards of living than UP.”