File Photo of UP Chief Minister Aditya Nath Yogi (PTI Photo)
Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has directed officials not to make any special arrangments when he tours the state after the government faced backlash over reports of high-handedness by officials.
“We are people who sit on the floor,” Yogi Adityanath told officials, adding, “Honouring the people of the state is in fact the honour of the chief minister.”
“No special arrangements should be made for me during visits, inspections and other programmes… we are people who sit on the floor,” the chief minister said.
The directive comes amid reports that a window AC, sofa and a carpet were installed in the house of martyred BSF head constable Prem Sagar in Deoria when the chief minister had called on the family.
However, the family said they were taken aback when authorities removed the air conditioner, sofa and carpet just minutes after the chief minister left their place.
“Officials took away the carpet, sofa and AC soon after Adityanath left our residence,” Dayasagar, the martyr’s brother, was quoted as saying. Officials had refused to confirm the reports.
There were also reports that the Kushinagar administration provided soap and shampoo to members of the Scheduled Caste Mushahar community ahead of a visit by CM Adityanath. They were reportedly asked to meet the chief minister after a proper bath.
The government was under fire from the opposition from the opposition parties after the two incidents.
The Congress reacted sharply and demanded that a case be registered against Adityanath. “A low level of untouchability was directly practised,” Congress spokesperson Abhishek Manu Singhvi had said.