Yogi dines at Dalit family's home in Pratapgarh

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited a house of a Dalit family and had dinner with them at Kandhaipur Madhupur village in Pratapgarh district on Monday.

Under the scheme 'Gram Swarajya Yojna,' where the state government aims to reach out over 50,000 village panchayats in Uttar Pradesh, the Chief Minister was also seen holding a chaupal (meeting) with the family and the locals at the village, while reviewing various development projects.

The Dalit man, Dayaram, said that he was feeling happy on meeting the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister.

"I am feeling happy. My family is also happy (on meeting with Adityanath). We never thought that he (Adityanath) would come and have food with us," Dayaram said.

After the dinner, Chief Minister Adityanath told ANI, "The party workers decided on this visit. We want to reach out to the lower class people under the Gram Swarajya Yojna."

On being asked about Congress President Rahul Gandhi calling the Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) "anti-Dalit," Chief Minister Adityanath said, "I don't comment on what Rahul Gandhi says."

While addressing a gathering at the launch of 'Save the Constitution' national campaign at Talkatora Stadium in New Delhi on Monday, Rahul said that the BJP government had no place for Dalit and backward class people in their hearts.

He added that the government under Prime Minister Narendra Modi was "systematically destroying the Indian Constitution and launching attacks on the Dalits".

Chief Minister Adityanath on Monday paid a surprise visit to a grain mandi and a hospital in Pratapgarh.

On Sunday, he visited Roja Gehu Mandi in Shahjahanpur and interacted with the farmers there. He also held talks with the farmers and locals at Lakhimpur and Amethi.