'Can 50 Hindus ever be safe among 100 Muslims?': Yogi Adityanath's poser on religious tolerance

Yogi Adityanath, Chief Minister, Uttar Pradesh. (File/PTI)

Uttar Pradesh is a safe state for people of all faiths, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said, adding that Muslims are safe if Hindus remain protected. In an interview with news agency ANI, Adityanath said that the state has witnessed no communal riots since 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 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.

Adityanath also sought to counter the narratve of religious intolerance that the Opposition often lobs at him and claimed that a Muslim family is the safest among 100 Hindu families. "They will have the freedom to practise all religious customs. 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."

Adityanath also touched upon the Nagpur incident where clashes broke out after a protest by right-wing outfits demanding the removal of Mughal ruler Aurangzeb's tomb from Maharashtra's Sambhaji Nagar and said that people indulging in violence must be countered "in a language they understand".

"If there is a person indulging in violence against you, should we plead before him with folded hands? No. There is a need to respond to them within the ambit of law and in a language they understand," the Uttar Pradesh CM said.

Adityanath further said that Sanatan Dharma is the most ancient religion in the world and underlined that there are no instances of Hindu rulers establishing dominion over others.

"Sanatan Dharma is the most ancient religion and culture in the world. Sanatan Dharma followers have not converted others to their faith. But what have they received in return? What did they gain in exchange? There is no example anywhere in the world where Hindu rulers, using their strength, have established dominion over others. Such instances do not exist," Adityanath said.

Asked about the communal clashes in UP's Sambhal where claims, and subsequent survey orders by court, over the presence of a Hindu religious structure beneath the Shahi Jama Masjid, Adityanath said sites of Hinduism are symbols of India's inheritance.

"Whatever it is, we will find it. We will show the world. Those whom God has given eyes, let them see. What happened in Sambhal? Sambhal is the truth," he said, wondering why Islamic religious structures were built over temples when Islam itself says that places of worship constructed after destroying Hindu temples are not accepted by God.

Referring to the Krishna Janmabhoomi-mosque dispute in Mathura, Adityanath said that the government is abiding by the court's directions, failing which anything could have happened there by now.

"We are acting within the ambit of law. Otherwise, who knows what would have happened by now?" Adityanath said.