Picture Perfect: Modi's Latest Photo With Adityanath Shows PM Has UP CM's Back, Quite Literally

A picture speaks more than a thousand words and this one definitely does. A photograph of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath walking side by side, with the Prime Minister’s arms behind the chief minister, speaks volumes about the relationship the two leaders share.

Adityanath, who shared the photograph from his Twitter handle, wrote: “Hum nikal pade hain pran karke, apna tan-man arpan karke, zid hai ek surya ugana hai, amber se ooncha jana hai, ek Bharat naya banana hai (We have moved on with a promise to sacrifice our body and mind. We are determined to create a new sun and go further than the skies-to build a new India).”

The photograph is also being interpreted as a firm reply to leaders who had tweeted a picture of Adityanath walking alone on the Purvanchal Expressway while the prime minister drives away in his convoy.

In what can be seen as PM Modi’s endorsement of Adityanath ahead of the 2022 elections, the pictures come close on the heels of the chief minister being chosen to place political resolution at BJPs National Executive.

The prime minister is on a three-day visit to Uttar Pradesh since Friday, which began with the inauguration and launch of infrastructure projects worth more than Rs 6,000 crore in the Bundelkhand region. He then headed to Lucknow to attend a two-day conference of senior police officials.

This is not the first time PM Modi has thrown his weight behind the UP chief minister. In fact, even Union Home Minister Amit Shah had said that if people want to see Modi as their prime minister in 2024, they should elect Yogi Adityanath as their Chief Minister in 2022 UP polls.

Multiple sources in the government and the BJP have rubbished the talk of Yogi Adityanath’s removal as the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, telling News18 that these are “baseless rumours” and said the party is sure of a win in UP in 2022 under his leadership.

The CM spent two days in Delhi earlier this year, meeting PM Modi, Shah, BJP president JP Nadda and President Ram Nath Kovind, raising a lot of speculations, after senior BJP leaders had visited Lucknow for closed-door meetings with many ministers.

“The prime minister holds Yogi Adityanath in high regard. His governance model is excellent and he has a clean image. There is no question of him being changed. The UP CM was last in Delhi on a two-day visit on January 6-7. Then also he met the President, the PM and Amit Shah. He plans his trips like that,” a top government source said.

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