Congress wiped out of Council, SP must take lesson from it, says Yogi

Lucknow: Samajwadi Party should desist from "divisive and irresponsible conduct" as the party may "go the Congress way" and lose its presence in the House if it followed that path, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said.The CM also said that "opposing" Vande Mataram and making "insulting remarks" against national symbols was no less than treason.Addressing members in the legislative assembly, the CM said, "The Congress has already been wiped out from the legislative council and the SP should learn a lesson from it.""If the SP also wishes to be rendered without representation in the Assembly and the Council, it may continue with baseless rhetoric and disrespect towards great personalities," he said.On the issue of national song, he said: "Opposing Vande Mataram and making insulting remarks against national symbols is no less than treason. Samajwadi Party and Congress are misleading people in the name of the Constitution and disrespecting the national song.""If anyone glorifies invaders who attacked the soul of India and tried to shackle its faith for political gains, the new India and the new Uttar Pradesh will not accept it," he said."The national song symbolises India's pride and honour. Every Indian has a duty to respect national symbols, including the tricolour, the national anthem, the national song and national icons," he said.Yogi said he was grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for issuing a notification making the national song mandatory at public functions."The double-engine govt honoured Ahilyabai Holkar, PM Modi installed her grand statue at Kashi Vishwanath Dham. But the Samajwadi Party misleads people in Lokmata's name, opposes the Ram Mandir and Kashi Vishwanath Temple, revealing a lack of respect for faith," he said.