LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on September 4 defended his Government’s “bulldozer action” and said that it takes courage to use bulldozer . “Handling a bulldozer requires both ‘dil and dimaag’ (heart and mind).
Only someone who has a bulldozerlike capability and determination can operate it. Those who yield to rioters cannot operate a bulldozer as their hands wouldn’t measure up,” Adityanath said. However, Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav challenged him to run for elections on a “bulldozer” symbol if he was so confident about his approach.
It was this observation that sparked off a rather acrimonious verbal exchange between Adityanath and his predecessor Yadav.
“I can see at this time some maneating wolves are creating havoc in different districts. More or less the same situation prevailed in the state before 2017,” Adityanath said. Adityanath made the remark – a rather stinging riposte to his predecessor’s ‘bulldozer’ barb directed at the Government – during an event in Lucknow on September 4.
Adityanath also said Yadav’s ambition of returning to power in Uttar Pradesh is nothing more than a daydream and accused the former CM and his uncle Shivpal Yadav of indulging in extortion during the SP’s rule. At another programme in Prayagraj later in the day, he again targeted the SP.
“Courage is needed to run the bulldozer. Will those who rub their noses before the rioters and mafias be able to run those bulldozers,” Adityanath said. The SP chief, however, cited Supreme Court’s September 2 observation to dub the “bulldozer” action of the Adityanath government as “unconstitutional”. “The Supreme Court only yesterday said that now the bulldozer cannot run, so will the government apologize for the bulldozer that was running till now?” Yadav asked.
He also dared Adityanath to form a new party and contest the next polls with ‘bulldozer’ as the election symbol if he were so confident of his action.
“If you and your bulldozer are so successful, then form a separate party and contest elections with the ‘bulldozer’ election symbol. Your illusions and pride will be shattered. Anyway, in your current situation, even if you are in BJP, you are as good as ‘no’, you will have to form a separate party, if not today then tomorrow,” Yadav posted on X in Hindi. During a media interaction at the SP office in Lucknow, Yadav again accused the state government of “deliberately” razing people’s homes.
