Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath claims that the government does not discriminate in Hindus and Muslims. However, when his statements after he became Chief Minister and his recent claim are compared, it found huge discrepancies.
In an interview with Network18 recently, Adityanath claimed that in his state Muslims are availed more government benefits than Hindus. "See, poor is poor. Government plans should reach everybody without discrimination. It has been our motive that development is for everybody. Remember, in 2014, Prime Minister Narendra Modi said ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. This is not a slogan, this is a reality and we are proud that we took everything to the ground-level," Adityanath said in the interview, according to Firstpost.
However, when he came to power in Uttar Pradesh his statements were harsh towards Muslims who contribute less than 20 percent in Adityanath’s state. The statements that:
Adityanath once said, "If they (read Muslims) convert one Hindu girl, we will convert 100 Muslim girls. If they kill one Hindu, then 100 we too will…" (the crowd had completed the sentence).
"Yogi is not talking about today, Yogi is talking about future. Exodus is a very big issue for us. BJP will not let western Uttar Pradesh turn into another Kashmir," said Adityanath once in his early stage of power in the state.
According to Firspost, when Adityanath asked about this statement, he said that he might have said this on the basis of the then situation. "I might have given statements considering the situation at the time," said Adityanath in the interview.
Adityanath to support his claim, told to News18 that if the government has given 25 lakh houses then all were not for Hindus. “Muslim population in Uttar Pradesh is 18 percent, but 30-35 percent houses have gone to Muslims," added Adityanath.
He also told that, he did not help Muslims more than Hindus on the basis of religion but the criteria. “We did not provide help because they were Muslims. We defined a criteria and whoever fell into that category got the benefits. For us, it is the citizen of the state that matters," added Adityanath.
The Adityanath-led BJP government in Uttar Pradesh completed 2.5 years of its stipulated five-year term on Wednesday September 19.
