The government has described as “questionable” an editorial in The New York Times criticising Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s choice of Yogi Adityanath as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh.
“All editorials or opinions are subjective. This case is particularly so and the wisdom in doubting the verdicts of genuine democratic exercises is quite questionable, both at home and abroad,” External Affairs Ministry Spokesperson Gopal Baglay said in response to a question.
The NYT editorial titled “Modi’s Perilous Embrace of Hindu Extremists” said since he came to power in 2014, PM Modi “has played a cagey game, appeasing his party’s hardline Hindu base while promoting secular goals of development and economic growth”.
Calling Yogi Adityanath a “firebrand Hindu cleric”, the editorial said the move to name the 44-year-old as Uttar Pradesh’s chief minister is a “shocking rebuke to religious minorities”.
The NYT editorial further added, “PM Modi’s economic policies may have delivered growth, but India must generate new jobs to meet employment demand.”
“Uttar Pradesh does not need ideological showmanship, it desperately needs development,” the editorial added.
According to a report published in the The Indian Express, the editorial said, “The move is a shocking rebuke to religious minorities and a sign that cold political calculations ahead of national elections in 2019 have led Modi’s Bharatiya Janata Party to believe that nothing stands in the way of realising its long-held dream of transforming a secular republic into a Hindu state.”
