Yogi Adityanath Slams Congress, Warns of 'Taliban Rule' in India

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath criticized the Congress-led INDIA bloc for proposing policies he claims would lead to 'Taliban rule' in India. Speaking at rallies in Bihar, he accused the opposition of promoting extreme measures including new taxes and reversing progress on women's rights and law reforms.

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday lambasted the Congress-led INDIA bloc for coming up with promises that suggested it wanted to ''levy jaziya tax'' and bring the country under “Taliban rule”.

The firebrand BJP leader made the remarks at three back-to-back rallies in Bihar, the first and the last in favour of Patna Sahib MP Ravi Shankar Prasad with one in support of Union minister RK Singh, who represents Arrah, scheduled in between.

“The Congress and the INDIA bloc speak of personal laws. They want to undo what Ravi Shankar Prasad had achieved (as the then Union law minister) by scrapping triple talaq”, alleged Yogi.

He added the opposition alliance wanted to promote “Talibani shasan” in which “women will not have the freedom to go to schools, markets and offices and will be forced to always wear the burqa”.

He also alleged that the Congress wanted to bring in a “virasat (inheritance) tax” which was like “jaziya”, imposed during the mediaeval times by Muslim rulers on their subjects belonging to other faiths.

“They want to bring in the 'jaziya' of Aurangzeb, whose misdeeds make Muslims wary of naming their children after the Mughal ruler. The Congress wants to give the money thus collected to Rohingyas and other infiltrators from Pakistan and Bangladesh”, alleged Yogi.

The UP chief minister, who is also the pontiff of Gorakshdham shrine at Gorakhpur, added that after the construction of Ram temple in Ayodhya, “ram-bhakts (BJP) are resolved to build a grand temple of Lord Krishna in Mathura. This is something the Congress and its Bihar ally RJD can never accomplish because they need votes (of Muslims)”.

He added that the opposition alliance was allegedly in favour of “taking away” reservations meant for Dalits and OBCs and giving the facility to Muslims, “but the country will run as per the Constitution of Babasaheb Ambedkar, which does not provide for quotas on the basis of religion”.

He also referred to the recent Calcutta High Court judgement striking down OBC status granted to a number of Muslim sub-groups by the West Bengal government of Mamata Banerjee whose Trinamool Congress was “an INDIA ally”.

At the rally in Arrah, the UP CM called RK Singh’s principal rival, who belongs to CPI(ML) Liberation, “a naxal”, and cautioned people that “if he wins, our daughters and businessmen will be endangered”.

In an obvious bid to underscore that the BJP cared for all the deprived castes, Yogi said, “We have honoured Ramayana figures like Nishadraj and Shabri in Uttar Pradesh by naming guest houses and canteens, respectively, after them”.

The BJP leader, whose tough stance on law and order has earned him the epithet “bulldozer baba”, claimed that ever since he assumed power in 2017, “goons have been begging for mercy, promising to give up their old ways and take up other businesses. Those who refuse to reform themselves are bumped off (Ram nam satya). Land grabbers’ property gets bulldozed.” He also credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with wiping out terrorism, claiming “now even if a firecracker goes off anywhere in the country, a scared Pakistan comes out with an explanation. It has realised that this is 'Naya Bharat' which will not be an aggressor but will not spare if there is any mischief”.

“Compare the scenario with the past, which I have witnessed as an MP. The Congress governments used to indulge in a scam in the morning and by the evening there used to be a terrorist attack. The regime used to just shrug off all such incidents saying terrorists had come from across the border and hence nothing could be done”, alleged Yogi.

He also charged the opposition with being enamoured with the neighbouring country and said, “They should all go to Pakistan which does not have enough food for its population. In contrast, the Modi government is providing free ration to 80 crore people. The number of people who have been brought out of the clutches of poverty in India is greater than the population of Pakistan”.