Am yogi at heart: UP CM dismisses talk of rift with leadership

Politics is not a full-time occupation for him and he remains a Yogi at heart, said UP CM Yogi Adityanath while parrying a query about a section of people seeing him as the future PM.

In an interview with PTI, Adityanath dismissed reports about differences between him and BJP’s central leaders, noting that he was in the CM’s chair because of the party.

“Can I remain in the chair by having differences with the party’s central leaders?” Adityanath asked, adding that he could not shut the mouth of anyone stoking speculation about such differences.

To a question on the RSS’ support for him, he said the Hindutva organisation backs anyone who is “committed to Bharat” and “will inspire those who are not to turn to the right path.” The CM said his primary role was serving the people of Uttar Pradesh, as entrusted by the BJP.

When asked about the growing support for him from a section of people as a future PM, Adityanath said, “Politics is not a full-time job for me. Ultimately, I am a yogi (monk) at heart.”

The monk-politician also downplayed a question about his popularity as a BJP campaigner in states outside UP, saying all CMs were a part of the party's electioneering. When asked about how long he plans to remain in politics, the UP CM said, “There will be a time frame for this as well.”