Yogi Adityanath slams Samajwadi Party, draws parallel with Muslim League

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath accused the Samajwadi Party of carrying forward a divisive agenda similar to that of the Muslim League.

In Short

• Yogi Adityanath accuses Samajwadi Party of divisive politics
• Draws comparison to Muslim League, founded in Aligarh in 1906
• Remarks made during rally ahead of UP bypolls on November 20

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday launched a scathing attack on the Samajwadi Party (SP) during a public rally in Aligarh, drawing a controversial parallel between Akhilesh Yadav’s party and the Muslim League.

Yogi Adityanath accused the Samajwadi Party of carrying forward a divisive agenda similar to that of the Muslim League, which he said laid the foundation for the partition of India in 1906.

"The Muslim League, which laid the foundation of the partition of India in 1906, was established in Aligarh itself... Aligarh did not let them do so, but their intentions of dividing the society on a communal basis were successful," he said.

He further alleged that the Samajwadi Party is perpetuating the divisive policies of the Muslim League. "Remember that Muslim League's foundation was not in Islamabad or Karachi or Dhaka. It was here in Aligarh. The dangerous intentions are still not over. The same work that the Muslim League was doing at that time is now being done by the Samajwadi Party... their intentions should not be allowed to succeed," he warned.

A day before, the Chief Minister had criticised the Samajwadi Party’s alleged disregard for India's heritage, contrasting it with the pride associated with the Ram temple in Ayodhya.

Addressing rallies in Ambedkarnagar’s Katehari and Mirzapur's Majhawan constituencies ahead of the November 20 bypolls, Adityanath said, "Before 2014, the leaders of the opposition alliance played with national security and disrespected our heritage. Today, Ram Lalla has been enshrined in the magnificent Ram temple in Ayodhya, a sight that fills every citizen of the country with pride. This is our heritage, which has been repeatedly insulted by the people of the Samajwadi Party".

The Chief Minister said the Samajwadi Party’s legacy is associated it with controversial figures such as gangsters-turned-politicians Atiq Ahmed and Mukhtar Ansari, and Khan Mubarak.

"The Samajwadi Party's true legacy is tied to figures like Khan Mubarak, Atiq Ahmed, and Mukhtar Ansari," he said, adding that the party has strayed from the ideals of socialist leader Dr. Ram Manohar Lohia.

The BJP leader’s attack against the Akhilesh Yadav-led party comes as nine assembly constituencies in Uttar Pradesh prepare for by-elections on November 20.