Yogi Adityanath on his 'dabang' style: 'Yeh to hamari sharafat hai'| WATCH

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. (File/PTI)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that his perceived image as a strongman keeps women, businessmen and citizens safe while keeping the mafia in Uttar Pradesh in check. "Yahi danda hai jo Pradesh mein betiyon ki suraksha karta hai, vyapariyon ki suraksha karta hai aur dangaiyon aur mafia ko thikane bhi lagata hai (It is this stick that keeps women and businesses safe in the state while keeping the rioters and mafia in check)," CM Adityanath said in an interview with Smita Prakash on ANI's podcast.

Asked about his 'dabang' (strongman) style of functioning, Adityanath said his style wasn't one of a strongman but that of his 'sharafat' (decency).

"Dabang style nahi hai...yeh hamari sharafat ka style hai (Not that of a strongman, my style is of decency)," Adityanath said in a promo video shared by the news agency on X. The full podcast will be aired on Wednesday.

EP-276 with Yogi Adityanath premieres tomorrow on YouTube at 10 AM IST"People have treated freedom of speech as a birthright to divide the country further." U.P CM Yogi Adityanath on the Kunal Kamra controversy"DK Shivakumar is saying exactly what he has inherited from pic.twitter.com/XHUyYg7sc2
ANI (@ANI) March 25, 2025

During the conversation, Adityanath also touched upon the issue of Muslim reservation being offered by the Karnataka government as well as the controversy around stand-up comedian Kunal Kamra's remarks against Shiv Sena supremo Eknath Shinde.

"Freedom of expression cannot be exercised to launch personal attacks against someone. It is unfortunate that some people have assumed that freedom of expression as their birth right to dishonor the country and deepen societal fissures," Adityanath said while referring to Kunal Kamra's remark that the Constitution accords him the right to freedom of expression.

Adityanath further said that the reservation being provided by the Karnataka government on the basis of religion is an upfront to the Constitution as prepared by Dr BR Ambedkar.

"What did they do with the Constitution in 1976? It was strangled. Congress has always being doing this (attacking the Constitution) and whatever DK Shivakumar has said is only what he has received as a legacy from the Congress," the UP chief minister said.

Adityanath was referring to the controversy over Karnataka Deputy CM Shivakumar's remarks on "changing the Constitution" during an interview with CNN-News18. Shivakumar said in the interview that there are several instances in the past where the Constitution has been amended after certain court orders -- a remark that the BJP alleged was made in the context of the 4 percent Muslim reservation in certain government contracts that Karnataka has cleared recently.

Shivakumar has denied that his remarks were made in the context of Muslim reservations and Congress has moved privilege motions against Leader of the House in Rajya Sabha JP Nadda and Union minister Kiren Rijiju for their remarks in Parliament in this regard.