In a candid appearance on India TV’s flagship show Aap Ki Adalat, Jammu and Kashmir Lieutenant Governor Manoj Sinha shared a personal anecdote involving the late Samajwadi Party patriarch Mulayam Singh Yadav and offered high praise for Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's leadership.
Speaking to host Rajat Sharma, Sinha recounted how Mulayam Singh once tried to persuade him to join the Samajwadi Party. "Mulayam Ji held my hand inside the Parliament lobby and said I should join his party and remain an MP,” Sinha said. “I modestly told him, ‘Main MP rahoon ya paidal rahoon, aapki party mein nahin jaoonga’ (Whether I remain an MP or a pedestrian, I will not join your party)."
On Yogi Adityanath’s tenure as Chief Minister, Sinha lauded the transformation in law and order across Uttar Pradesh. "After the elimination of mafia gangsters in UP, there is no more fear and terror among the people. Rule of law has been restored," he asserted.
When asked whether his name was seriously considered for the Chief Minister’s post in 2017, Sinha downplayed the speculation. “Naam chalaa, yeh maine television par dekha (I saw on TV that my name was under consideration)," he said, adding that the decision was entirely the party's prerogative. Clarifying rumours that he visited Varanasi's Sankatmochan temple in anticipation of the CM’s post, Sinha explained it was coincidental, saying he had attended a condolence event in Ghazipur and stopped at the temple while returning.
To Rajat Sharma’s direct question — "Did you feel good when Yogi Ji became CM?" — Sinha responded warmly, “Swabhavik roop se accha laga (Naturally, I felt happy)."
Sinha also addressed the recent political controversy sparked by Congress MP Rahul Gandhi's claim that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had “surrendered” during the military standoff with Pakistan. Dismissing the allegation, Sinha said, “Let him think so. This will continue for 10 more years.”
He detailed Operation Sindoor, launched after the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, which claimed 26 civilian lives. In a 100-hour offensive, Indian forces destroyed multiple terror camps and 11 Pakistani airbases, asserting India's zero-tolerance stance on cross-border terrorism and military readiness.
