'Cruel ruler' versus 'traitor of humanity' : Yogi Adityanath, Arvind Kejriwal's furious Twitter spat ahead of Uttar Pradesh polls

The two leaders targeted each other, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in the Parliament, accused Maharashtra and Delhi governments for contributing to the spread of COVID-19

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath indulged in a Twitter spat with his Delhi counterpart Arvind Kejriwal late on February 7 night over the management of migrant labourers by their governments during the first wave of the COVID-19 pandemic, nearly two years ago.

The two leaders targeted each other, hours after Prime Minister Narendra Modi, speaking in the Parliament, accused Maharashtra and Delhi governments for contributing to the spread of COVID-19 by facilitating travel of migrant labourers, despite lockdown.

READ: Budget Session | Congress practises divide-and-rule policies, leads 'Tukde Tukde' gang, says PM Modi

"Listen Kejriwal, you forced the workers of UP to leave Delhi when the entire humanity was groaning due to the pain of Corona (COVID-19). Your government did an undemocratic and inhuman act like leaving even small children and women helpless on the UP border in the middle of the night. Should we call you a traitor of humanity or...," Yogi said in a tweet in Hindi.

सुनो योगी,

आप तो रहने ही दो। जिस तरह UP के लोगों की लाशें नदी में बह रहीं थीं और आप करोड़ों रुपए खर्च करके Times मैगज़ीन में अपनी झूठी वाह वाही के विज्ञापन दे रहे थे। आप जैसा निर्दयी और क्रूर शासक मैंने नहीं देखा। https://t.co/qxcs2w60lG

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— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 7, 2022

"The country hopes that the Prime Minister will be sensitive to those who have suffered the pain of the corona period, those who have lost their loved ones," Kejriwal said in a tweet in Hindi quoting Prime Minister’s speech.

The PM, in his reply to the debate on the Motion of Thanks to President's speech, had blamed Arvind Kejriwal-led Delhi government for using microphones and asking people living in slums to leave during lockdown. The PM also blamed Maharashtra government for allowing migrant labourers to go to Uttar Pradesh and Bihar that resulted in a spike in cases in these states.

Also, read : India is moving towards making the 'century of unicorns' in a very short time : PM Modi in Lok Sabha

In the series of tweets, the UP Chief Minister called Kejriwal a liar and blamed him for "cutting electricity and water "of migrant labourers and forcing them to leave the city. 

"The electricity-water connection was cut and the sleeping people were picked up and sent to the UP border by buses. Announcement was made that buses are going for Anand Vihar, beyond that buses will be available for UP-Bihar. The UP government arranged buses for the migrant laborers and brought them back safely," he said.

On March 28, 2020, the area near Anand Vihar bus terminal on Delhi-UP border witnessed utter chaos as thousands of migrant workers had assembled in search of buses to their native villages in UP and Bihar.

प्रधानमंत्री जी का ये बयान सरासर झूठ है। देश उम्मीद करता है कि जिन लोगों ने कोरोना काल की पीड़ा को सहा, जिन लोगों ने अपनों को खोया, प्रधानमंत्री जी उनके प्रति संवेदनशील होंगे। लोगों की पीड़ा पर राजनीति करना प्रधानमंत्री जी को शोभा नहीं देता। pic.twitter.com/Dd4NsRNGCY

— Arvind Kejriwal (@ArvindKejriwal) February 7, 2022

Kejriwal responded in the same tone referring to the bodies of COVID-19 patients floating on Ganga river and called Adityanath a "heartless and cruel ruler".

"Listen Yogi, you just let it be. Just like the dead bodies of the people of UP were floating in the river and you were giving advertisements of your false applause in Times magazine by spending crores of rupees. I have never seen such a heartless and cruel ruler like you," the Delhi CM said in the tweet.

Uttar Pradesh is going to polls in seven phases with the first phase scheduled to be held on February 10. While BJP is the ruling party, Aam Aadmi Party is also contesting elections in the state.