'SP, Congress ki Lanka jalaoge': UP minister Rajbhar's remarks to govt officials spark row

Lucknow, Sep 28 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh minister Om Prakash Rajbhar on Monday urged newly appointed Gram Panchayat Officers to publicise the work done by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath government ahead of the 2027 assembly polls and ensure the rout of the Samajwadi Party (SP) and Congress.

"Akele Hanuman ji Lanka jala ke aa gaye the... aap bataiye to Samajwadi Party aur Congress ki Lanka jalaoge ya nahin jalaoge (Lord Hanuman had gone alone and burnt Lanka... Tell me, will you burn the Lanka of the Samajwadi Party and Congress or not?)" the minister, also the chief of BJP ally SBSP, said.

He was speaking at a programme in Lucknow where appointment letters were distributed to 1,375 newly selected Gram Panchayat Officers.

Rajbhar, who holds the Panchayati Raj portfolio besides Minority Welfare, Muslim Waqf and Haj, referred to the opposition SP and Congress as parties of "dead people" who do not have any ideas and oppose the government just for the sake of it.

"In the coming days, when the elections are held in 2027, ensure that SP is 'saaf' (removed) and Congress is half," he said.

The remarks drew the ire of the Congress and the SP, which accused the minister of misusing a government platform to target political rivals.

"To exhort the candidates who are starting their government jobs to target Congress and Samajwadi Party is shocking. Was it a political rally or a government event. Is this how you provoke masses?" state Congress chief Ajay Rai said.

Rajbhar initially spoke about the transformation of the Panchayati Raj department under the Yogi Adityanath government and later began a direct interaction with the beneficiaries present in the auditorium.

The minister asked the beneficiaries whether the present government was better than the Samajwadi Party government and said that government jobs were now being given "without payment of money".

"Once you leave from here and join your job in whichever district you are posted, publicise this (Ab jab aap yahan se jaayenge apni naukri join karenge, jis bhi zile mein aapko milegi naukri, wahan is baat ka prachar prasar kariyega).

"Tell your brothers and sisters that if they also want a job without paying money, then make Yogi Adityanath the chief minister for the third time," Rajbhar said.

He then asked the beneficiaries how many of them would "publicise" the message, following which almost all those seated on the other side of the stage raised their hands.

Taking his remarks into a more colloquial, Purvanchali tone, Rajbhar said, "Hanuman ji had gone alone and burnt Lanka after finding out the entire strength of Ravan and then returned to tell Lord Ram. You are 1,375 people here. Tell me, will you burn the Lanka of the Samajwadi Party and Congress or not?" the minister said.

"Do not worry, although I alone keep setting fire to their Lanka every day," Rajbhar added with a smile.

He referred to the "Lanka Dahan" -- the burning down of demon king Ravana's kingdom by Lord Hanuman in the Ramayana in the fight between good, led by Lord Rama, and evil by Ravana.

The minister also took a swipe at the opposition over its criticism of the state government's performance, saying connectivity between districts had improved, digital libraries had been established in villages and development had taken place.

"But the people of the Samajwadi Party and Congress say that nothing has happened. It seems the power of their glasses has become weak, which is why they cannot see anything," he said.

Rajbhar claimed that while the proportion of girls studying may have been around 40 per cent a decade ago, it had now reached 100 per cent under the leadership of CM Adityanath.

He further claimed that villages had witnessed development over the past 10 years which had not been accomplished for many years.

Taking a broader swipe at the opposition, Rajbhar said, "Whether they are people of the Congress or the SP, these people are actually dead people; they are not alive.

"They do not do politics of ideas, but only politics of opposition. They want to do politics of hatred, but the people do not want politics of hatred. They want brotherhood and mutual harmony."

He said people should follow what their parents and ancestors had taught them and urged the gathering to ensure that the strength of the SP and the Congress is halved in the 2027 elections.

Earlier in his formal address, Rajbhar said that the Panchayati Raj department, which he described as "the most important department" connected with public concerns, had undergone a transformation under the Yogi Adityanath government.

He said that before 2017, the department was viewed merely as one concerned with paperwork, but it had now become a major driver of development across more than 57,000 gram panchayats in the state.

Rajbhar said 6,581 Panchayati Raj department employees had been recruited during the tenure of the present government and welcomed the 1,375 newly appointed officials into the government service.

He also said Gram Panchayat offices were being actively operated and equipped with facilities such as electricity, internet and computers.

The programme was attended by Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, Agriculture Minister Surya Pratap Shahi and senior officials of the Panchayati Raj department.

The 1,375 candidates were selected through the Uttar Pradesh Subordinate Services Selection Commission process.

After his political remarks, Rajbhar returned to his written speech and called upon the newly appointed officials to resolve to use their energy and integrity to make Uttar Pradesh's panchayats a model for the country and contribute to Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision of a 'Viksit Bharat'.