Lucknow: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has raked up controversy with his speech in the state Assembly on Monday. The CM said the traditions of Lord Ram, Krishna, and Buddha would remain in India, while the legacies of Babur and Aurangzeb would fade.
भारत के अंदर प्रभु श्री राम, श्रीकृष्ण और भगवान बुद्ध की ही परंपरा रहेगी,
बाबर और औरंगजेब की परंपरा नहीं रहेगी… pic.twitter.com/2a8WwpANy9
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) December 16, 2024
According to reports, he made the remarks in reference to the Opposition’s suggestion that chanting the slogans and allowing Hindu rallies to pass through Muslim-dominated region would instigate communal violence.
“Where is it written in the Constitution that a Hindu procession cannot be taken out in a Muslim-dominated area?” Yogi Adityanath asked, as reported by India Today. “When you stop it, the reaction from the Hindu side also comes that we will also not let it go. I am surprised by these things that the procession will not be allowed in front of the mosque. Does this road belong to anyone? It is a public road, how can you stop anyone?” he added.
मैं यही पूछना चाहता हूं,
जब कोई हिंदू शोभायात्रा, किसी मस्जिद के सामने व मुस्लिम बाहुल्य क्षेत्र से निकलती है, तब क्यों तनाव पैदा हो जाता है? pic.twitter.com/yCGtgJyfrE
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) December 16, 2024
The CM also defended the chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’ stating that the same was not a communal symbol, but a symbol of faith.
‘Ram ke bina toh hamara kuch kam nahi hota’
He argued that people often greet each other by saying ‘ram, ram.’ The same chant is also used at funeral processions, he stated. ‘Ram ke bina toh hamara koi kam hi nahi hota, toh Jai shri ram ka nara kaise sampradayik hogaya (no work is complete without the chants of Jai Shri Ram, then how can the same be communal),” he asked. The CM also asked the Opposition whether they would agree, if he would say tomorrow that he didn’t like the slogan of ‘allah hu akbar’.
The CM made such remarks during a discussion on Sambhal violence, which erupted during a court-ordered survey of a mosque.