Modi praises Adityanath's handling of Covid-19 ahead of UP assembly polls

Modi said UP's population was greater than several big nations, yet Adityanath and his team had performed exceedingly well to bend the coronavirus curve

Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday showered praises on UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath for “dexterously tackling the Covid-19 pandemic” in the country’s most populous state.

Addressing a public meeting in his parliamentary constituency Varanasi, Modi said UP’s population was greater than several big nations, yet Adityanath and his team “performed exceedingly well to bend the coronavirus curve amid overwhelming challenges during the second wave”.

The PM’s remarks lay to rest murmurs of a purported thaw in the relationship between Modi and Yogi over the latter’s alleged Covid mismanagement in the state, and his style of functioning. Speaking in Varanasi, Modi urged