Team Clarion
LUCKNOW — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has again sparked controversy with his anti-Muslim rhetoric during a program on a private news channel on Tuesday. Critics view his remarks on several sensitive Muslim issues have the potential to stoke religious tensions in the state.
During the program, Yogi Adityanath made a provocative claim regarding the history of Sambhal, a city in Uttar Pradesh. He stated that Mir Baqi, a general in the Mughal Empire, had demolished the Shri Hari temple in Sambhal and built a mosque in its place. The chief minister’s assertion was part of his broader commentary on issues concerning the Muslim community in India.
Yogi also addressed the ongoing debate over the Waqf Act, calling for its amendment. He referred to the amendment as an important demand of the present time, aimed at ensuring transparency and justice in society. The chief minister went further, claiming that the Waqf Act needs to be changed to bring greater clarity to Waqf properties and to ensure their proper management. He compared this with the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), which he said was being implemented for the welfare of the country, suggesting that the Waqf Bill should follow the same path.
Furthermore, the chief minister stated that Waqf land, as defined in the Waqf Board’s records, was not endowed property but rather public revenue land. He claimed that the Uttar Pradesh Waqf Board had listed 1.27 lakh Waqf properties, but only 7,000 of them were valid. He argued that any public land, including properties used for government purposes such as police stations, should be considered public revenue land and that there should be no objection to constructing buildings on it, even in areas with Waqf claims.
On the topic of the Shahi Masjid in Sambhal, Yogi Adityanath said that the city is mentioned in the Puranas, and according to the Aina-e Akbari, a temple was destroyed by Mir Baqi to make way for the mosque. He emphasised that his focus was not on looking for temples everywhere but on uncovering historical truths wherever evidence existed.
His remarks have drawn strong reactions from various quarters, with critics accusing the chief minister of deepening communal divides. By discussing sensitive topics related to religious history and legal reforms in the Waqf Act, Yogi Adityanath’s comments have raised concerns about their potential to inflame religious tensions in the state.