Bengaluru, Jan 7 (DHNS): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday sought to know from his Karnataka counterpart Siddaramaiah if the latter considered himself a Hindu.

If so, then why does Siddaramaiah promote beef-eating?; the UP CM questioned.

Adityanath was addressing a well-attended BJP Nava Karnataka Nirmana Parivartana rally at Vijayanagar, Bengaluru on Sunday.

Adityanath said, "Hinduism is a way of life. It holds high values in esteem. It doesn't allow eating beef. If you (Siddaramaiah) consider yourself a Hindu, then why do you promote eating beef?"

Siddaramaiah at a recent political convention had said, "I am also Hindu and I have Rama in my name. BJP people should refrain from calling me anti-Hindu."

Adityanath said that when the BJP was ruling the state it had proposed to bring in a legislation for complete ban on cow slaughter. But the Congress had opposed the move.

Adiyanath said Siddaramaiah has 'suddenly and 'ahead of the election' realised that he is Hindu .

"The strength of Hindus makes people like Siddaramaiah realise that he is a Hindu. Even (AICC Chief) Rahul Gandhi starts visiting temples," Adityanath quipped.

He accused the ruling Congress in the state of dividing people along religious lines.

Adiyanath had lunch at Adichunchanagiri mutt in Vijayanagar along with its seer Nirmalanandanatha Swami before leaving for Lucknow.

Adichunchanagiri Mutt is said to have close links with the Gorakhnath Mutt in Gorakhpur, where Adityanath was the head priest. Both mutts follow the Nath Pantha, a sub-sect of Shaivism.

Vote for BJP to develop Karnataka faster, says Adityanath

IANS

Pitching for rule by the same party in the states as in the Centre, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday urged the electorate to vote for the BJP again in the ensuing Karnataka assembly elections to step up development in the state.

"Karnataka will benefit like Gujarat and Himachal Pradesh if it is also ruled by the BJP, which is heading the NDA government at the Centre under the dynamic leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said at a party rally here.

Addressing about 50,000 people at the function here as part of the BJP's 90-day statewide "Nava Karnataka Nirmana Pari-varthana Yatra", Adityanath, speaking in Hindi, said Karnataka stagnated in development over the last four years under the Congress, which had failed to implement various schemes of the Modi government.

"Though the Modi government had included Bengaluru and nine other cities across the state under its ambitious Smart City project, the state government has not taken action to utilize its funds or improve the quality of life in the state.

"The Congress government has been busy polarising the people, dividing them on caste and religious basis and failed to check the worsening law and order situation. It has no time for the development of the state, which was once known for its phenomenal growth in the knowledge sector, especially IT and biotech," said Adityanath.

Noting that the BJP was ruling in 19 states and as a coalition partner in five more states across the country, he said his party had wrested power from the Congress in Himachal Pradesh and won in Gujarat for a record sixth time solely on the development plank.

The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), which came to power in the state for the first time in 2008, lost to the Congress in 2013 following a split in its state unit and five years of "misrule" with three Chief Ministers.

It is second time Adityanath attended and addressed a BJP rally in the state after he did on December 21 at Hubballi.

Party's state unit President B.S. Yeddyrappa, central ministers from the state Ananth Kumar and D.V. Sadananda Gowda, Union HRD Minister and party's state in-charge Prakash Javdekar and its state unit leaders Jagadish Shettar, K.S Eshwarappa and A.R. Ashok also addressed the rally.

Before flying back to Lucknow, Adityanath had lunch at the Adichunchanagiri Mutt with its seer Nirmalanandanath Swami.