Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday targeted the Opposition legislators, particularly from the Samajwadi Party, accusing them of “indecent and disrespectful behaviour” towards Governor Anandiben Patel during her joint address to both Houses of Uttar Pradesh Legislature on February 9 on the first day of the ongoing budget session.
During the discussion on the Motion of Thanks to the Governor’s Address in the state Legislative Council, the CM said, “Ye nari shakti ka apman hain (this is an insult to women power)” which weakened democratic traditions and undermined constitutional institutions.
But nothing more could be expected from Samajwadi Party than to disrespect a woman, he added.
Also, Adityanath said that “opposing” Vande Mataram and making “insulting remarks” against national symbols was no less than treason, and accused the SP and Congress of misleading people in the name of the Constitution and disrespecting the National Song. “You see how statements are made in support of anti-national elements or derogatory comments are passed against symbols of national pride. This is nothing short of treason,” he said.
The Governor as the constitutional head of the state must be accorded dignity and respect, he said, adding the Opposition parties have only set a poor example by resorting to such behaviour.
“The kind of indecent and disrespectful behaviour shown towards the state’s constitutional head and that too of a woman, not only weakens the democracy but is also a contempt of constitutional personalities,” the CM claimed.
Asking the Opposition legislators not to engage in such behaviour as it would set a wrong precedent for future generations, Adityanath said that Governor Patel is a seasoned politician and they were lucky to have her giving direction to the state.
Story continues below this ad
“Such behaviour shows the negative mindset of the Samajwadi Party and other members of the Opposition,” he alleged.
The Opposition legislators had entered the well of the House during the Governor’s address on February 9 and raised slogans “Governor go back” and kept disrupting her address, calling it a “lie”.
The CM’s statement also comes at a time, when the SP is targeting him for referring to Leader of Opposition Mata Prasad Pandey’s wife as ‘budiya’ (old woman) in his address in the Assembly earlier, by calling it disrespect of a woman.
He also launched a broader political attack on the SP, alleging its leaders engage in divisive politics and negative rhetoric. He cautioned the party to play the role of a responsible opposition and not damage the state’s “new identity”.
Story continues below this ad
Pointing out that the Legislative Council does not have a single Congress member, Adityanath warned the SP that they would also be headed on the same path if they did not mend their ways. He went on to allege the party’s leaders have made it their agenda to disrespect people’s faith and encourage caste clashes and hooliganism.
The SP, he further alleged, was unnecessarily creating misunderstanding related to Form 7 during the Special Intensive Revision (SIR) of electoral rolls in the state, calling a disrespect to “constitutional institutions” like the Election Commission.
He accused the party of working against the ideology of socialist icons Jayaprakash Narayan and Ram Manohar Lohia, saying its PDA slogan was “pariwarik development authority” (family development authority).
Claiming UP’s perception has changed during his tenure in the past nine years, Adityanath said the state moved from a “fear zone to a faith zone” and from a “curfew culture to the rule of law”.
Story continues below this ad
“No curfew, no riots — UP mein sab changa,” he said, adding that better security and stability strengthened public confidence and created a favourable environment for investment and development.
He said UP has emerged as a major investment destination through a “Triple-T” model — Trust, Transformation and Timely Delivery — and a framework of safety, stability and speed. He informed that investment proposals worth over Rs 50 lakh crore have been signed since 2017, with projects worth more than Rs 15 lakh crore already grounded.
Also, the number of factories in the state has increased from nearly 14,000 before 2017 to over 31,000 now, and that UP now accounts for a major share of the country’s mobile and electronic manufacturing, he claimed.
With inputs from PTI
