Yogi Adityanath sworn in as UP CM
PM, AMIT SHAH & OTHER PARTY BRASS ATTEND ADITYANATH’S SWEARING IN CEREMONY
LUCKNOW: Priest-turned politician and controversial mascot of hardline Hindutva, Yogi Adityanath was on Sunday sworn in as the 21st chief minister of Uttar Pradesh and the fourth from the saffron party, ending its 15-year hiatus.
BJP state unit chief Keshav Prasad Maurya and party's national vice president Dinesh Sharma were sworn in as cabinet ministers by Governor Ram Naik at a grand ceremony at Kanshiram Smriti Upvan here.
They will assist 44-year-old Adityanath as as deputy chief ministers.
Interestingly, none of the three is a legislator in UP.
The five-term MP from Gorakhpur, who lacks administrative experience, was on Saturday unanimously elected the BJP legislature party leader at a meeting of the newly elected MLAS, in a move that took many by surprise.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi, Home Minister Rajnath Singh, BJP chief Amit Shah and party veteran L K Advani were present at the ceremony, which was also attended by outgoing chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav and SP patron Mulayam Singh Yadav.
Several BJP chief ministers also attended the function.
The elevation of Adityanath, who has chequered rapport with the BJP leadership, has left many puzzled, with political circles abuzz with talk of the RSS having prevailed over the party in deciding the chief minister.
Often caught in controversy because of his speeches, Adityanath, who heads the Gorakhnath Mutt, allegedly led a “purification” drive for conversion of Christians to Hinduism in 2005.
In 2015, he reportedly said those who oppose yoga can leave India and that they should all be drowned.
He was arrested for allegedly inciting Gorakhpur riots in 2007.
Adityanath, who has been accused by opposition parties of being a divisive political figure, enjoys considerable popularity in the state and is known to make provocative statements, be it about Islam or Pakistan.
A strong votary of construction of the Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya, he drove BJP'S Hindutva campaign in the eastern UP in the just concluded Assembly polls.
He had said on Saturday he would follow Modi's slogan “sab ka saath, sab ka vikas” and ensure all round development of the country's most populous state.
“I am confident that the state will march on the path of development,” he had said in his first brief media interaction at the Raj Bhawan.
He had also said his efforts would be to provide “good governance” in the state.
The governor also adminis- tered oath of office and secrecy to 22 cabinet ministers.
Cricketer-turned-politician Mohsin Raza was sworn in as a minister of state becoming the lone Muslim face in the Adityanath government. He is not a member of the UP legislature.
BJP had not fielded any Muslim candidate in the Assembly polls.
Besides Keshav Maurya and Dinesh Sharma, the 22 other cabinet ministers sworn in include Surya Pratap Shahi, Suresh Kumar Khanna, Swami Prasad Maurya, Satish Mahana, Rajesh Agarwal, Rita Bahuguna Joshi, Dara Singh Chauhan, Dharampal Singh, SP Singh Baghel and Satyadev Pachauri.
The rest of the cabinet ministers are Ramapati Shastri, Jai Prakash Singh, Om Prakash Rajbhar, Brijesh Pathak, Lakshmi Narain Chowdhury, Chetan Chauhan, Srikant Sharma, Rajendra Pratap Singh alias Moti Singh, Siddharth Nath Singh, Mukut Bihari Verma, Ashutosh Tondon and Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi.
With this, the Adityanath government has 24 cabinet ministers, including two deputy CMS, nine MOS (independent charge) and 13 ministers of state.
NEW DELHI: As the Yogi Adityanath-led government took over in Uttar Pradesh, Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Sunday said the "sole mission and motive is development" of the state, in an apparent bid to allay apprehensions over the hardline Hindutva mascot becoming the Chief Minister.
Modi, while noting that BJP had formed the government in four out of five states that went to the polls recently, said, "Our unwavering efforts to create a 'Bhavya' (great) & 'Divya' (brilliant) Bharat (India) continue. India's Jan Shakti is powering the rise of a new & transformed India."
In a series of tweets just after attending the swearing- in ceremony of Adityanath and his council of ministers in Lucknow, the Prime Minister expressed confidence that the new government will work for "record development" for Uttar Pradesh.
"Congratulations to Yogi Adityanath Ji, Keshav Prasad Maurya Ji, Dinesh Sharma Ji & all those who took oath today. Best wishes for serving UP," he wrote.
"Our sole mission & motive is development. When UP develops, India develops. We want to serve UP'S youth & create opportunities for them," Modi added.
The Prime Minister's insistence on development being the only aim of the Adityanath government appears to be an attempt to allay apprehensions that some quarters may have over the hardline Hindutva mascot taking over as the Chief Minister.
44-year-old Adityanath, a five-term Lok Sabha MP, is known for his provocative speeches and never shies away from making controversial remarks, be it about Islam or Pakistan.
"I have immense confidence that this new team (led by Adityanath) will leave no stone unturned in making UP Uttam Pradesh (foremost state). There will be record development," Modi said.
In another tweet, the Prime Minister said, "With the blessings of people & hardwork of our Karyakartas the BJP has formed governments in 4 out of the 5 states that went to the polls."
He added, "Our unwavering efforts to create a 'Bhavya' (great) & 'Divya' (brilliant) Bharat (India) continue. India's Jan Shakti is powering the rise of a new & transformed India."