Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s remark citing fears of the state turning into Kerala, Kashmir or West Bengal has drawn sharp reactions from Opposition leaders. In a six-minute video appeal last evening aimed at voters in seats that went to polls in the first phase today, CM Adityanath expressed concern that the efforts of his government to reign in rioters and other unlawful elements whose activities were curbed by his government could be washed away if people do not vote for BJP.

“Be alert. If you miss this time, the five-year effort will be washed away. And it will take no time for UP to become Kashmir, Kerala or Bengal,” the Chief Minister said.

Hitting back at Adityanath, Kerala CM Pinarayi Vijayan said that if UP manages to develop on the lines of Kerala, people will experience peace, harmony and the best of education and health services. “If UP turns into Kerala as Yogi Adityanath fears, it will enjoy the best education, health services, social welfare, living standards and have a harmonious society in which people won’t be murdered in the name of religion and caste. That’s what the people of UP would want,” Vijayan said on Twitter.

Senior Congress leader and MP from Thiruvananthapuram Shashi Tharoor also took a dig at Yogi Adityanath and said Kashmir’s beauty, Bengal’s culture and Kerala’s education would do wonders for the place. “UP will turn into Kashmir, Bengal or Kerala if BJP doesn’t come to power, Yogi Adityanath tells voters. UP should be so lucky!! Kashmir’s beauty, Bengal’s culture & Kerala’s education would do wonders for the place. UP’s wonderful: pity about its Govt,” said Tharoor.

Bengal Congress chief and Leader of Congress in Lok Sabha, Adhir Ranjan Chowdhury said that Adityanath knows nothing about the eastern state and its secular traditions.

TMC Rajya Sabha MP Santanu Sen accused Adityanath of resorting to desperate measures to divide people. “The BJP has sensed defeat in the upcoming UP elections, which is why it is now trying to sow discord among people of the northern state by portraying amity and peace in West Bengal in a negative light….West Bengal will never become Adityanath’s UP, instead UP will set an example of harmony and amity by dislodging him from power,” said Sen.

CPI(M) leader Sujan Chakraborty said that Adityanath’s comment was a “blatant attempt at polarising the peace-loving people of UP”.

“We don’t subscribe to Adityanath’s vision of India, which is an affront on our mosaic of different faiths and religions. We oppose his idea of Hindu Rashtra,” he said.

A total of 58 seats from across 11 districts went to the polls today in Uttar Pradesh. A majority of these seats include regions that were the centre of protests against the government over the now-scrapped farm laws. The BJP has traditionally done well in the western UP belt, although the farmers’ resentment did put it on the backfoot, and allowed the Samajwadi Party-RLD alliance to make gains.