SP expert in 'Chipko Movement': Adityanath on anti-BJP Opposition meet

UP CM Yogi Adityanath took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party joining a meeting of Opposition parties at Patna to forge unity against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday took a jibe at the Samajwadi Party joining a meeting of Opposition parties at Patna to forge unity against the BJP for the 2024 Lok Sabha polls, saying the Akhilesh Yadav-led party is an "expert in Chipko Andolan".

BJP leader Adityanath was addressing a public rally in Gautam Buddh Nagar's Noida during which he inaugurated over 124 development projects worth more than Rs 1,719 crore across Noida and Greater Noida.

When the Samajwadi Party, the Rashtriya Lok Dal, the Janata Dal (United) and others who are called followers of JP (socialist icon Jayaprakash Narayan) collude with those (Congress) who trampled the democracy, the public also begins to see how they tried to hide their misdeeds and corruption," he said.

"The Samajwadi Party has a long history. Like in 2004, they had extended support to the Congress without even being asked for it. Although the Congress did not want their support the Samajwadi Party forced it. This party is an expert in 'Chipko Andolan'," Adityanath said.

The Samajwadi Party has done it in the past and they have done it once again this time. But brothers and sisters, we should not deviate from the positive approach and continue our development journey," he told the event.

The Chipko Movement refers to a non-violent agitation in 1973 by local communities in present-day Uttarakhand for the protection and conservation of trees in response to increasing deforestation. The locals, including women, hugged trees in their effort to save them.

"Today, I have come with that message only. In the last six years in Gautam Buddh Nagar, the perception has changed. Major works are being done in infrastructure development, investments are coming in and Noida and Greater Noida are poised to dominate the world. This district has given Uttar Pradesh a new identity in the last six years," he said.

On June 23, a joint meeting of over a dozen political parties was held in Bihar's Patna and they resolved to take on the BJP unitedly in the 2024 general elections.

Bihar Chief Minister Nitish Kumar (JD-U) and his deputy Tejashwi Yadav (RJD) hosted the meeting which was attended Congress president Mallikarjun Kharge, party leader Rahul Gandhi, TMC's Mamata Banerjee, Tamil Nadu Chief Minister M K Stalin (DMK), Delhi Chief Minister Arvind Kejriwal (AAP), RJD's Lalu Prasad Yadav and the SP's Akhilesh Yadav.

Jharkhand's Hemant Soren (JMM), Maharashtra's former chief minister Uddhav Thackeray (Shiv Sena-UBT), National Conference Leader Omar Abdullah and NCP president Sharad Pawar, Peoples Democratic Party leader Mehbooba Mufti, CPI general secretary D Raja, CPI (ML) leader Dipankar Bhattacharya and CPI (M) general secretary Sitaram Yechury were also among the leaders who attended the nearly four-hour-long meeting.

Former Uttar Pradesh chief minister Mayawati (BSP), Odisha chief minister Naveen Patnaik (BJD), K Chandrashekar Rao (BRS) and Y S Jagan Mohan Reddy (YSRCP) were not invited, while RLD leader Jayant Chaudhary did not attend the meeting due to a "predetermined family programme".

The BJP reacted strongly to the Opposition meeting, calling it a "multi-headed selfish alliance" and said it was wolves hunting in packs.