New Delhi: Condemning the violence against Hindus and minorities in Bangladesh, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday said the “anarchy” would continue in the country till Muhammad Ali Jinnah’s “soul remains there”.
Violence broke out in Bangladesh after the Sheikh Hasina’s government was removed amid student protests in August. In the aftermath of the violence, Hindu temples and businesses were targeted. Currently, Hindus are allegedly being intimidating for expressing their cultural identity.
Speaking at a public gathering to mark Bhimrao Ambedkar’s death anniversary in Lucknow, the chief minister said, “In Bangladesh, minorities are being done to death, burnt and looted by the radicals. The honour of mothers and daughters is being compromised. I want to know why such a situation is prevailing in Bangladesh?”
‘This is the sin of India’s partition in 1947’
He added that as long as Jinnah’s spirit remains there, this sort of anarchy will not stop. “The poor and marginalised are being exploited in Bangladesh. This is the sin of India’s partition in 1947. The harsh reality of partition has emerged again through the Bangladesh crisis. All the Hindus and Buddhists being killed in Bangladesh are Dalits,” he added.
He pointed out that in 1947, there was a huge population of Hindus in Pakistan and Bangladesh. Up till 1971, 22 per cent of the population in Bangladesh were Hindus but it has come down to 6 to 8 per cent currently, the CM said, adding “Ambedkar had sounded a warning about this in 1946-47”.
He said that some individuals today were misleading society and spreading lies. “These are the same people who stayed silent when the villages of Dalits were being torched by the Nizam of Hyderabad.” “Ambedkar had written an open letter that all Dalits in Hyderabad being tortured should leave the Nizam’s state and go to Maharashtra. But they should not convert,” he said.
Adityanath underlined that the people of the Hyderabad Nizam and pro-Pakistan groups tried to influence Ambedkar, but he remained determined. He added that those who followed Ambedkar are safe in India and getting advantage from quota. “Our government respects them and ensures they receive all necessary backing,” Adityanath added.
