Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on September 13 made use of the “abba jaan” jibe yet again while criticising the previous Samajwadi Party regime in the state.
Addressing a public gathering at Kushinagar district, Adityanath said that before the year 2017 – when the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) came to power in Uttar Pradesh – all the free ration distributed by the government would be swept up by those who say “abba jaan”.
His caustic “abba jaan” remark – a term of endearment for fathers in Urdu – has stoked controversy. The UP CM has been facing immense backlash from Opposition leaders who have decried it as an attempt to “communally polarise” the upcoming Uttar Pradesh Assembly elections.
Referring to alleged appeasement policies of the previous government, Yogi Adityanath said: “2017 ke pahle kya sabhi ko ration milta that?... Abba Jaan kehne wale sara ration hajam kar lete the (Before 2017, did everyone have equal access to ration? Those saying ‘abba jaan’ would take home all of it).
He added: “Kushinagar’s ration would end up in Nepal and Bangladesh. If today anyone tries to swallow the ration of the poor, that person will land in jail.”
Reacting to his comment, former Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said: "I’ve always maintained the BJP has no intention of fighting any election with an agenda other than blatant communalism & hatred with all the venom directed towards Muslims. Here is a CM seeking re-election claiming that Muslims ate up all the rations meant for Hindus."
This is the second time the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has used the term “abba jaan” in a derogatory manner.
Adityanath had recently dubbed Samajwadi Party patron Mulayam Singh Yadav as party president Akhilesh Yadav’s “abba jaan”. His remarks came in response to Akhilesh Yadav’s statement that he is a “more devout Hindu” than the BJP leader.
(With agency inputs)
