New Delhi, Apr 1 (PTI) Opposition leaders on Tuesday flayed Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath’s latest remarks on “namaz on streets” and Waqf boards and alleged that the BJP was pursuing RSS’ agenda in its bid to regain “lost” ground among voters.
The BJP leaders supported Adityanath’s views as they hit back at the opposition parties, accusing them of trying to polarise society with their comments on the Waqf (Amendment) Bill in the hope of making electoral gains.
This came after the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, in an exclusive interview to PTI, defended his administration’s warning to Muslims against offering namaz on streets, saying roads are meant for the movement of traffic. He also asked Muslims to learn religious discipline from Hindus who took part in the massive Maha Kumbh mela without any incident of crime, destruction or harassment.
Adityanath also slammed the critics of the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, saying Waqf boards have become a den of selfish interests as well as “loot khasot” (property grabbing), and have done little for the welfare of Muslims.
Samajwadi Party (SP) chief Akhilesh Yadav alleged that Adityanath was trying to hide his “failures” with such remarks and claimed that the BJP’s voters have moved away after it did not deliver on its poll promises.
“All these things are happening because they do not want to discuss inflation, give unemployment figures (data), the status of their promise of doubling of farmers’ income…They are trying to hide their flaws and failures,” the former chief minister of Uttar Pradesh said.
“He talked about namaz on the street… I was stopped so that I cannot participate in Eid… It’s because such things suit them,” he told reporters in the Parliament complex.
On the Waqf (Amendment) Bill, Yadav said the BJP’s every decision is aimed at making its “own people” happy and getting votes.
Through the amendments, the BJP wants to bring the Waqf boards under its complete control and send out a message to its vote bank, he charged, asserting that his party will vehemently oppose the bill.
“Through the Waqf Bill, they want to send out a message to their vote bank. Their voters are angry because they did not provide jobs and doubled farmers’ income. They know their votes have moved away,” the SP chief said.
Reacting sharply to Adityanath’s remarks, AIMIM chief Assaduddin Owaisi asked why Muslims should be stopped from offering namaz on streets when “Kanwariya yatra, the RSS parade and all religious festivals” can be organised on roads.
“What is your problem with Muslim religion (Islam) only?” he asked.
The AIMIM chief said the beauty of India is pluralism and diversity in the country.
“You are talking about one ideology, that is of RSS, which clashes with the Constitution of India,” he told reporters in the parliament complex when asked about Adityanath’s remarks.
Union Minister SP Singh Baghel supported Adityanath’s views and said those who are religious should maintain discipline.
“We can also call the Kumbh a festival of discipline, where 66 crore people came. Their languages were different, their dialects were different, their states were different, yet they did not face any problems,” he told PTI.
Baghel said while the Congress and its allies are opposing the Waqf amendment bill “just for the sake of opposing it”, those who have “illegally occupied” the Waqf properties are worried.
They are making comments against the bill to polarise society for political gains, he said.
Congress leader Vijay Wadettiwar linked the controversy to the BJP’s “imposition politics” and raised the issue of opposition to Hindi in Tamil Nadu.
“This isn’t about opposing Hindi but protecting linguistic rights. The Constitution guarantees freedom of language – no one can force their mother tongue on others,” he asserted.
MNS leader Sandeep Deshpande argued that religious practices should remain private.
“Pray in mosques, temples, or homes—not on streets. Public spaces can’t be disrupted every Friday,” he said.
Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Arvind Sawant, however, said: “Namaz takes barely 15 minutes. If mosques lack space, where should people pray? Should Hindus be barred from rooftop rituals too?” BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi backed the UP CM, stating that namaz should be offered only in authorised spaces.
“Prayers have rules—mosques, Eidgahs, or homes are the right places. Unauthorised prayers on roads create unnecessary tensions,” he said.
On Adityanath’s remarks that Tamil, Telugu, Malayalam, Kannada, Bengali and Marathi are taught in Uttar Pradesh, Congress MP Karti Chidambaram demanded that the state government give details of the number of students enrolled in learning Tamil and teachers imparting lessons on the language in schools.
“There is no reason for students in Tamil Nadu to compulsorily learn Hindi. None of the migrant workers who come to TN come with any prior knowledge of Tamil. Stop Hindi Imposition,” he said in a post on X.
Congress MP Imran Masood suggested that Adityanath’s remarks were biased and he should also “discipline” others who take out processions on roads.
“We accepted. We did not offer namaz on the street. I myself went out and asked people to not offer namaz on the streets. It’s because when the government has disallowed and the streets are its property, offering namaz there will not be accepted,” .
“But is it only us who have to be taught discipline?…Teach others also who cause traffic jam for hours by take out processions,” he said.
Masood said Adityanath should instead focus on the many other tasks he has like taking measures for the progress of Uttar Pradesh and maintenance of law and order in the state “He should pay attention to them,” he said. PTI UZM PK RT
This report is auto-generated from PTI news service. ThePrint holds no responsibility for its content.