Lucknow, Mar 26: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has stated that Muslims in the state are safe, adding that communal violence has stopped since the Bharatiya Janata Party came to power in 2017.
“In Uttar Pradesh, Muslims are the safest. If Hindus are safe, then they are also safe. If there were riots here in UP before 2017, if Hindu shops were burning, then Muslim shops were also burning. If Hindu houses were burning, then Muslim houses were also burning. And after 2017, the riots stopped,” Adityanath told news agency ANI in an interview.
The chief minister said a Muslim family would feel safe among a hundred Hindu families but questioned whether 50 Hindu families would feel the same among a hundred Muslim families. “A Muslim family is the safest among a hundred Hindu families. They will have the freedom to practice all their religious deeds. But can 50 Hindus be safe among 100 Muslim families? No. Bangladesh is an example. Before this, Pakistan was an example. What happened in Afghanistan? If there is smoke or someone is being hit, we should be careful before we get hit. That is what needs to be taken care of,” he said.
Adityanath asserted that he treats everyone equally and wishes for everyone’s happiness, believing in “everyone’s support and development.” He also referred to Sanatan Dharma as the most ancient religion and culture in the world, stating that Hindu rulers have never used their strength to establish dominion over others.
Speaking about law and order during festivals, he said that the administration regularly monitors the situation, and an SOP has been prepared. “Uttar Pradesh is the first state to control noise coming from outside its territory, in line with the Supreme Court’s instructions, and has successfully managed it through this communication,” he said.
Regarding the tarpaulin covering mosques during Holi, Adityanath clarified that strict instructions exist to prevent throwing colors at religious places, but he added that colors do not harm anyone. “If you are playing with colors, it does not harm anyone’s existence. You tell me, is it the same when rallies are held during Muharram? Doesn’t the shadow of their flag fall on a Hindu house near the temple? Does it make the Hindu house impure? There are strict instructions not to allow anything that is not colored. But even if something has fallen, the administration is cleaning and repainting it,” he said.
