NEW DELHI: Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav on Wednesday said those who think of politics as a “part-time job” should stay out of it, in an apparent jibe at Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath.
“In fact, those who consider politics as part time should not do it at all because ‘true politics is a field of service’ for which even 24 hours of a day and entire life are not enough,” Yadav posted in Hindi on X, without mentioning Adityanath.
Adityanath made the remark in an interview with news agency PTI. The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leader said, Look, “I am the chief minister of the state, the party has put me here for the people of Uttar Pradesh and politics is not a full-time job for me.”
He continued, “At present, we are working here but in reality, I am a Yogi. As long as we are here, we are working… there will be a time limit to this too.”
Rift between Yogi Adityanath-BJP top brass?
Adityanath also refuted allegations of any discord between him and the BJP’s central leadership. “I am in this position because of the party. How can there be any differences?” he questioned, dismissing such claims as “baseless speculation.”
“Where does the question of differences come from? After all, I am sitting here because of the party. Can I continue sitting here if I have differences with the central leaders?” he stated.
On bulldozer action and namaz on public roads
The chief minister also addressed the controversial “bulldozer justice” under his administration, which has brought him the moniker of “bulldozer baba.”
“This is not an achievement, this was a need here (Uttar Pradesh) and whatever we felt was necessary regarding that need,” according to Adityanath.
On the contentious “no namaz on public roads” order, he noted that roads are meant for walking.
