Adityanath slams Congress, local parties for hurting sentiments in Telangana, AP

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Sunday attacked the Congress and the regional parties in Telangana and Andhra Pradesh, alleging that they had "obstructed" development and played with the sentiments of the people. These parties have "promoted" dynastic and family politics, and made the life of the common man "miserable", he said.

"In the past some years, in Andhra Pradesh it has been either the Congress or the regional parties that have been in power. They have duped the people in the name of development. They have promoted dynastic and family politics there and obstructed the developmental process," Adityanath told PTI in an interview here. "They have only given attractive slogans and made the life of the common man miserable. In Telangana, for the past five years, there is a TRS (Telangana Rashtra Samithi) government. This government is also walking on the path shown by the Congress. It is indulging in dynastic and family politics as well," he said.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister is in Telangana to address election meetings. He will also address people in Andhra Pradesh. "Whether it is the TDP (Telugu Desam Party) in Andhra Pradesh, the Congress or the TRS in Telangana, all of them have resorted to politics of appeasement.

"They have played with the sentiments of the people by making tall and attractive promises," Adityanath said, adding that this will not last long. The BJP will register a win in the Andhra Pradesh assembly polls and will expose its rivals "anti-development face" and the appeasement politics done by them, he said.

He exuded confidence that the BJP will get a good number of Lok Sabha seats from both the states. When asked on why TDP chief and Andhra Pradesh Chief Minister N Chandrababu Naidu left the NDA and if it will impact the BJP in southern India, where the party is trying to increase its tally, Adityanath said, "This is politics of opportunism. He (Naidu) was respected in the NDA. The BJP had given respect to Chandrababu Naidu while ignoring party workers."

"His walking away from the NDA will not affect BJP's poll prospects. BJP will perform very well in Andhra Pradesh, Telangana, Tamil Nadu, Kerala and Karnataka, and win a handsome number of seats in these states," he said In Odisha, West Bengal and north-eastern states, too, the BJP will win a good number of seats, Adityanath said.

The chief minister also attacked the Owaisi brothers -- AIMIM chief Asaduddin Owaisi and Akbaruddin Owaisi, alleging that the negative statements made by them were insulting to the people of Hyderabad and Telangana. "We speak about development and security. The negative politics and statements made by the Owaisi brothers of Hyderabad are not only insulting for the people of Telangana and Hyderabad, but also for the basic feelings (mool bhaawnaa) of the country.

"I think that there should be no place in the Indian democracy for the negative politics practised by them," he said. The Hyderabad Lok Sabha constituency, which is traditionally an All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen (AIMIM) stronghold, has been won by Asaduddin Owaisi since 2004. It has seven assembly segments and six of these were won by the AIMIM in the 2018 Telangana polls.

(With inputs from agencies.)