Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said that what is now happening in Bangladesh is the same as what Mughal ruler Babur's army did in Ayodhya and Sambhal.
Speaking at the inauguration ceremony of the 43rd Ramayan Mela in Ayodhya, the BJP leader said that Lord Ram united the whole society.
"Had we given importance to unity and not let the strategy of the nation's enemies succeed in creating social animosity, this country would have never become a slave. Our pilgrimages would not have become impure. A handful of invaders would not have dared to invade us and would be crushed by India's brave soldiers," Adityanath said.
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Yogi said that those who created difficulties within the society managed to succeed, adding that their genes remain the same to this day. In an apparent jibe at the opposition, he said "those who indulge in caste-based politics to shatter the social fabric are still active".
"... 500 years ago, a general of Babur committed certain deeds in Ayodhya, similar acts in Sambhal, and what is happening today in Bangladesh. The nature and DNA of all three are the same," CM Yogi said.
{{/usCountry}}"... 500 years ago, a general of Babur committed certain deeds in Ayodhya, similar acts in Sambhal, and what is happening today in Bangladesh. The nature and DNA of all three are the same," CM Yogi said.
{{/usCountry}}And, he said, if someone believes otherwise, then they are mistaken.
"Divisive elements are there already, tearing apart the social fabric, breaking social unity, and making full arrangements 'aapko kaatne aur katwaane ka'," he said.
Many such divisive forces have bought properties across the world, the chief minister said. He said that when a crisis happens in India, those forces flee to their places in other countries and leave behind the citizens here to "suffer and die".
However, CM Yogi's remark is drawing ire from the opposition. Congress MP Tariq Anwar told PTI that a chief minister cannot speak such language. "It is shocking to see such a senior leader of BJP and CM of Uttar Pradesh speaking such language to divide the society."
Sambhal was embroiled in violence over an issue that erupted last month, on a court-ordered survey of a local mosque. The incident led to the death of four Muslim men.
The Archaeological Survey of India's (ASI) survey was prompted by a plea filed in a local court, which claimed that the mosque was originally built on the site of a Harihar temple.
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Earlier in the day, Sambhal district magistrate Rajender Pensiya said that over 400 people had been identified in connection with the incident, and 32 had been arrested.
Meanwhile, Bangladesh has been facing intense situations since the Sheikh Hasina-led government was toppled in August after student protests. Now, protests have been taking place in Dhaka over the alleged atrocities on Hindus and other religious minorities, with people demanding the release of the arrested Hindu monk Chinmoy Krishna Das.
Das, a former ISKCON leader, was arrested under sedition charges.
(with PTI inputs)