Yogi's 80 vs 20 Remark Must Not be Seen with Hindu-Muslim Lens: Rajnath Singh to News18 | Top Quotes

Defence Minister Rajnath Singh on Sunday said Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath’s “80 versus 20" statement should not be seen with a “Hindu-Muslim" lens. In an interview with News18, he talked about the Uttar Pradesh assembly elections, the ruling BJP’s performance in the state, the Opposition’s attack on the saffron party among several other issues.

Here are some top quotes by Rajnath Singh during the interview from Lucknow:

On CM Yogi’s 80 vs 20 remark: Defence minister Rajnath Singh said he did not exactly know why Adityanath had made this statement, but it was wrong to make it a Hindu-Muslim issue. “Maybe he meant it on the basis of Modi ji’s popularity as opposed to opposition parties. We should not give it a Hindu-Muslim angle," he added.

On BJP’s fate in UP: The defence minister exuded confidence on the BJP’s victory in Uttar Pradesh. “The wind is clear in Uttar Pradesh and it’s so strong that no one has any doubt. The popularity of Yogi ji has increased in the state and we are going to form the government once again. We (BJP) not only protect Hindus, we also work for the development of all sections of society," he said.

On anti-incumbency: Rajnath Singh dismissed any idea of anti-incumbency in the state. He said, “The (Narendra) Modi government came to power in 2014, but we were elected once again in 2019. For us, there is no anti-incumbency. It’s only pro-incumbency and the same will happen in UP too."

On farmers’ protests: Singh did not mince his words, saying farmer leaders misunderstood the three farm laws and all efforts were made to make them see reason. “I would like to say that the kind of sensitivity shown by Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi should be appreciated. He did a charismatic job by withdrawing the three farm laws," he said.

On Yogi Adityanath as CM: He said there was no doubt that he will become the CM once again. “Yogi ji is fighting the elections, where is the doubt? Yogi ji was the CM, and he is the CM candidate too."

On OBC community being upset: Asked about backward castes being upset with the BJP, Rajnath said, “A single person can be upset with the party. The leaders who are upset have gone, but the OBC community is with the BJP."

On Rahul Gandhi’s Chinese incursion claim: Singh said the Gandhi scion should think before making any statements, especially on sensitive issues such as national security. “What do I say? It pains me that there’s such rhetoric on issues of national security. There should not be any allegations or counter-allegations on this. I want to tell the people of India that nobody will be able to occupy even an inch of the country’s territory," he said.

On Congress presence in UP: Talking about Congress presence in UP and general secretary Priyanka Gandhi’s ‘Ladki hoon, lad sakti hoon’ motto for the assembly elections, Rajnath said the party had become “insignificant" in the state. “There’s no significance of the Congress in Uttar Pradesh. It’s insignificant. The BJP is the main opponent to other parties, there’s no one party against the BJP. We are fighting with all our strength with victory as our aim," he said.

On CM Channi’s ‘UP ke bhaiya’ remark: Rajnath Singh mentioned how Priyanka had stood “clapping" beside Punjab CM Charanjit Singh Channi when he made his controversial “UP ke bhaiya" remark. “How can a CM say something like this, and you can see Priyanka is clapping. It’s the policy of the Congress to divide and rule. I was very upset," he added.

On BJP’s performance in Punjab: Rajnath said the BJP and its allies will form the government in Punjab. “The BJP in Punjab is where it should be. I can’t forecast the number of seats, but we will form the government there through our alliance partners, like Captain’s party," he added.

On Ukraine crisis: On international affairs such as the Ukraine crisis, Rajnath Singh clarified India’s stand and said there should not be any “war-like situation". “We want this to be solved through diplomacy. Problems can be solved through diplomatic talks. India also wants that there should be no war-like situation," he added.

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