Siddaramaiah and Adityanath Spar On Twitter

“If Siddaramaiah is Hindu, then how correct is it for you to promote the consumption of beef,” Yogi Adityanath said.

Siddramaiah criticised Adityanath for accusing the Congress of “insulting” India’s rich tradition by showing respect to Tipu Sultan.

(Photo: Altered by The Quint)

A war of words broke out between Karnataka Chief Minister Siddaramaiah and his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath on Twitter, when the latter visited Bengaluru for political campaigning.

Adityanath was in Bengaluru to campaign for the BJP ahead of the upcoming assembly elections in the state when he launched an attack on CM Siddaramaiah and the ruling Congress government in the state. In response, Siddaramaiah took to Twitter, sarcastically suggesting that Adityanath can learn a lot from Karnataka.

Siddaramaiah asked him to tour the Indira canteens and other ration shops started by his government. He also raked up the issue of starvation deaths, pointing out the case where a man reportedly starved to death in Bareilly – an allegation the Adityanath government has vehemently denied.

Adityanath responded by highlighting the failures of the Congress government in the state. He claimed that the number of farmers committing suicide was at its nhighest under the current regime. He also questioned the numerous transfers of bureaucrats in the state.

Earlier on 7 January, Yogi had slammed Siddaramaiah at the Parivartana Rally in Bengaluru for the assertion that he was a Hindu. The Hindustan Times quoted him as saying:

Hindutva is not specific to any caste or religion. It means living life in sync with India... However, it does not promote the consumption of beef. I want to ask [Siddaramaiah], if you too are Hindu, then how correct is it for you to promote the consumption of beef?

Ahead of the Karnataka assembly elections, the BJP is looking to lure voters by promising ‘development’, even as leaders like Pratap Simha and Ananthkumar Hegde make incendiary statements. The BJP’s Parivartana Yatra Rally, that began on 2 November, entered its 66th day on 7 January.

(This story was originally published on The Newsminute and has been republished with permission.)

(Breathe In, Breathe Out: Are you finding it tough to breathe polluted air? Join hands with FIT in partnership with #MyRightToBreathe to find a solution to pollution. Send in your suggestions to [e-mail] or WhatsApp @ [phone]).