CM cuts short K’taka visit, to review affected areas today

LUCKNOW: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath reached Agra on Friday night, cutting short his Karnataka election tour amid opposition flak for staying away from his own state even after a storm claimed over 70 lives in UP.

“The chief minister will visit the affected areas tomorrow (Saturday) morning,” state’s principal secretary information Avanish Awasthi said.

Adityanath will review the relief efforts in the district and then leave for Kanpur at 12:30 pm. He was earlier scheduled to campaign in Karnataka till Saturday noon.

Parts of western UP were battered in Wednesday’s storm which also struck the adjoining Rajasthan districts.

Forty-three people died in Agra district alone. Altogether, 124 people were killed and over 300 others injured in five states due thunderstorms and lightning in the last two days, the union home ministry said on Friday.

Adityanath was criticised in

PARTS OF WESTERN UP WERE BATTERED IN WEDNESDAY’S STORM WHICH ALSO STRUCK THE ADJOINING RAJASTHAN DISTRICTS.

Uttar Pradesh and in Karnataka, where he is campaigning with Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s ahead of the the assembly elections on May 12.

“I am sorry your CM is needed here in Karnataka,” Karnataka chief minister Siddaramaiah had tweeted.

“I am sure he will return soon & attend to his work there.”

Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav, while condoling the deaths, said in a tweet, “CM should immediately return to UP leaving aside campaigning in Karnataka. People have elected him to resolve the problems of their state and not for politics of Karnataka.”

“If he doesn’t rush back even under such circumstances, he should form his own mutt there (in Karnataka) for all times,” Yadav tweeted on Thursday night.

Bahujan Samaj Party president Mayawati said despite the calamity, Modi and Adityanath were busy in the Karnataka campaign “only to serve their selfish electoral interests”.

In a statement, the former CM said not much should be expected from the government “which has such a narrow mindset”.

“This is the reason why both the Centre and the state governments of UP and Rajasthan have remained totally lax and irresponsible after the loss of life and property,” she added.

Uttar Pradesh Congress Committee president Raj Babbar described Adityanath as ‘one of the most irresponsible’ chief ministers in the country and a ‘part-time CM’.

“The main aim of the government is to serve the people but here the CM is busy campaigning in another state,” Babbar said.