Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath took another good-natured dig at Gorakhpur MP and Bhojpuri star Ravi Kishan, joking at News18 India’s Diamond States Summit that improved air connectivity meant no one could track whether Kishan was in Gorakhpur, Mumbai or Delhi on a given day. It drew loud laughter.
Speaking on Gorakhpur’s improved air links, Yogi said connectivity had transformed dramatically — from a single flight a day a decade ago to 14 flights currently operating out of the city.
He then turned his attention to Kishan, seated in the audience: “I keep saying this about Ravi Kishan — nobody can tell when he’s in Gorakhpur and when he’s in Mumbai. If he has breakfast in Mumbai, he manages to have lunch in Gorakhpur. And after just
showing his face here, off he goes to Delhi as well.”
Yogi added, to laughter, that without air connectivity, such a schedule would have been “difficult” to pull off. Kishan was seen laughing hard through the remarks, along with others seated around him.
The jibe came just as Yogi was in the middle of a run of Gorakhpur appearances.
On Tuesday, at the inauguration of a Rs 70 crore, 1.80-km Green City Road — built at a cost of Rs 69.58 crore, connecting National Highway-24 to Madhopur Bandha via Patniya — Yogi took another dig at Kishan, noting that the MP hadn’t delivered a speech that day: “Don’t know why Ravi Kishan ji didn’t speak today. Looks like he fed you all one too many feasts.”
He then asked the crowd how many had attended one of Kishan’s feasts, how many had watched his films, and how many had watched the film “Kalibari Ke Baba” — after hearing the crowd’s response, Yogi remarked, to laughter, that it was “a tie between the two.”
Is This The First Time Yogi Has Teased Ravi Kishan On Stage?
Far from it. The two share a public rapport that has produced a string of viral moments whenever they share a stage — a notable departure from Yogi’s usually stern public image.
In July 2025, at a Gorakhpur Municipal Corporation event, Yogi ribbed Kishan for building a house atop a drain in the Ramgarh Tal area, warning in mock seriousness that if there was waterlogging, “action is sure to be taken against him as well,” before advising Kishan to build “some distance away from the drain” for the sake of smooth sewage flow.
On a separate occasion, referencing the same house, Yogi joked that a “shisheh mahal” (glass palace) existed right on the banks of Ramgarh Tal — a clear nod to Kishan’s home.
In June 2026, at the inauguration of GIDA’s flatted factory complex and EWS/LIG housing in Gorakhpur, Kishan mentioned undertaking a padyatra (foot march) in the summer heat; Yogi responded that he’d told Kishan to wait until after the rains before attempting any barefoot march, drawing laughs from the crowd.
What Other Jokes Have Gone Viral?
At the inauguration of a Kalyan Mandapam in Gorakhpur, Yogi remarked from the stage that Kishan “has a lot of money” and could easily spend “12-15 lakh.”
At another event, Yogi asked the crowd how many people actually watched Kishan’s films, and whether Kishan ever screened them for free — before smilingly promising he’d ask Kishan to hold a free screening for everyone.
At a Gorakhpur zoo event, Yogi joked that Kishan had been eager to step into the tiger enclosure, but was stopped because he still had a speech to deliver.
Following Kishan’s film “Laapataa Ladies” winning an IIFA award, Yogi asked the public at a shared event whether Kishan had thrown a party to celebrate — a question that had Yogi, Kishan and the crowd all laughing.
At another Gorakhpur event, when photographers asked Kishan to step forward and stand beside the CM for a picture, Yogi quipped, “Where’s Ravi Kishan? He’s left” — prompting Kishan to rush forward and respond, “Maharaj ji, I’m right behind you.”
During Mahakumbh, Yogi urged the public to take a holy dip and not get caught up in “maya” (worldly attachment) “like Ravi Kishan.”
Perhaps the most-shared moment came at the inauguration of a crematorium in Gorakhpur, when Kishan, addressing the gathering, said whoever was cremated there would go “straight to heaven” and would “enjoy it a lot” — a line that reportedly left Yogi laughing so hard he bowed his head into his hand, a reaction rarely seen from the CM in recent years.
