lucknow

Updated: Jul 06, 2017 18:54 IST

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday claimed that he was not a full-time politician, and serving the public was the only reason for his foray into politics.

When asked about his chances of becoming India’s future premier, Adityanath said he considered himself fortunate to have been given the responsibility of heading Uttar Pradesh by Prime Minister Narendra Modi and BJP president Amit Shah. “After I have successfully carried out my responsibilities, I would like to return to my mutt. I don’t think it’s acceptable to devote my entire life to politics,” he told HT.

This was the first interview given by the chief minister to a newspaper since he completed 100 days in office on June 27.

Incidentally, the chief minister is required to become a member of either of the two houses within six months of assuming charge. While Adityanath said it was up to the party leadership to decide which assembly constituency he should contest from, speculations are rife that it would be from Ayodhya.

Adityanath said he was able to achieve a lot during his first 100 days in office, including establishing his commitment to good governance and improving the law-and-order situation by not according protection to criminals.

The chief minister reiterated that no community should live in fear under his government because he was adamant on not discriminating against anybody as far as implementation of development schemes was concerned. At the same time, he also stressed that the government will not try to appease the members of any community or religion.

The chief minister, who is committed to constructing a Ram temple in Ayodhya, said he has asked all the parties concerned to amicably resolve the issue and ensure that the country enters a new era of communal harmony. “The government can – at best – facilitate the removal of hurdles standing in the path to finding a peaceful solution to the problem,” he said.

The chief minister also claimed that his spiritual prowess helped him immensely in carrying out administrative work, and his shift from Gorakhpur math to the chief minister’s bungalow has not brought about any big change in his lifestyle. He remains an early riser who performs his rituals as a mahant in the morning before taking up chief ministerial responsibilities that keep him up till midnight.

Adityanath also said he was closely monitoring the performance of his cabinet ministers. He is currently gearing up for the presentation of his government’s first budget in the state assembly.