Yogi: Hindus not safe among Muslim families, Bangladesh an example

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday (March 26) said that “if Hindus are safe, then Muslims are also safe in his state”.

Speaking to news agency ANI, he gave the assurance that people from all religions are safe in the state, and said that as a 'yogi', he wishes for everyone’s happiness.

“A Muslim family is the safest among a hundred Hindu families. They will have the freedom to practise 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,” Yogi said.

Also Read: Glorifying invaders is treason; 'New India' won’t accept it: UP CM Adityanath

He said he treats everyone equally.

‘No communal riots since 2017’

The chief minister also emphasised that communal riots in Uttar Pradesh stopped after the BJP 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,” he said.

On bulldozer action

Responding to the criticism about the “bulldozer action” by his administration, he said that sometimes people need to be explained things in a “language” they understand.

He said that those who take the law into their own hands will face consequences within the legal framework.

Also Read: No more ‘bulldozer justice’: SC slams executive, lays down pan-India rules

“Those who believe in justice, justice is done for them. Those who take justice and law into their own hands, they are taught a lesson in the framework of the law. It should be explained in the language in which they understand it. If someone comes in front of us as a violent person to attack us, should we stand in front of him? No, if he comes as a violent person, then we will have to respond to his violence there,” said Adityanath.

‘Sanatan Dharma – most ancient religion’

Calling Sanatana Dharma the “most ancient religion in the world”, Yogi asserted that there are no examples in the world where Hindu rulers, using their own strength, have established dominion over others.

“Sanatana Dharma followers have not converted others to their faith. But what have they received in return? There are no instances of Hindu rulers establishing dominion over others. While everyone has this mindset – this belongs to me, and that belongs to someone else – which is a product of a narrow and limited intellect, for Sanatan Dharma followers, the whole world is considered a family, guided by this universal feeling,” he said.

Also Read: No tolerance for disrespect to Maha Kumbh, Sanatan Dharma: Yogi warns

Kunal Kamra row

On the controversy surrounding comedian Kunal Kamra’s remarks at Maharashtra's Deputy Chief Minister Eknath Shinde during a recent show, Yogi said that “people have treated freedom of speech as a birthright to divide the country further”.

Language doesn't divide, it connects

On the three-language issue, Yogi said language doesn’t divide, but it connects, and asked “why do you hate Hindi?”

“The country should not be divided in the name of the language or region. We are grateful to Prime Minister Modi, who organised the Kashi-Tamil Sangamam in Varanasi. In every Indian's mind, there is a feeling of respect for Tamil, and its history is as old as Sanskrit. When these people's vote banks shift, they try to divide on the basis of territory and language. The people of the country should always be aware of this," he said.