Yogi skips UP’s Eidgah event
LUCKNOW: Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath did not turn up at Aishbagh Eidgah in the state capital to greet people on Eid on Monday, a tradition that was followed by majority of Uttar Pradesh chief ministers, including those from his party Bharatiya Janata Party in the past.
Adityanath’s office, however, issued the chief minister’s greetings on the occasion.
Eidgah campus in Aishbagh witnesses the biggest congregation of Muslims of Sunni sect in Lucknow offering special prayers at one place.
Yogi’s decision to skip Eidgah invited a sarcastic response from the chief of the state’s main opposition Samajwadi Party. “It’s for the chief minister to tell why he isn’t here. Despite being rejected, I am here,” said former chief minister and Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav after greeting the people.
Governor Ram Naik also visited the Eidgah.
During Ramzan, neither Adityanath nor any of his ministers had hosted Iftar, the annual ritual of inviting the Muslim community to break their day’s fast (roza).
Defending the chief minister, Bharatiya Janata Party general secretary Vijay Bahadur Pathak said, “Why didn’t anyone notice Eid greetings of Prime Minister Modi and chief minister Yogi? The important thing is to move beyond tokenism and see if we are distinguishing between Ramzan, Eid or Diwali.”