Expel Abu Azmi from Samajwadi Party, bring him to UP and we'll 'take care': UP CM Adityanath
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Lucknow (PTI): Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday asked the Samajwadi Party to take a stand on the controversial remarks made by one of its leaders and Maharashtra MLA Abu Azmi, demanding that the party must expel him for glorifying Mughal ruler Aurangzeb.
Adityanath also asked the Samajwadi Party (SP) to bring Azmi to UP and said "Uttar Pradesh knows well how to take care of such people".
"You (SP) must decide your position (on the Abu Azmi row)," Adityanath said in the Legislative Council following which the Samajwadi Party members started making remarks.
Hitting back, he said, "Make an official announcement and expel that wretched person from your party. Then send him to Uttar Pradesh and we will take care of the rest."
Escalating his attack, Adityanath said, "A person, who feels ashamed of the legacy of Chhatrapati Shivaji Maharaj, but considers Aurangzeb his hero does he even have the right to live in India?"
The chief minister further accused the Samajwadi Party of double standards.
"On one hand, you criticize the Kumbh and on the other, you glorify Aurangzeb -- a ruthless, fanatical ruler who destroyed temples and crushed India's faith. What is stopping you from taking action against this leader?" he asked.
Adityanath insisted that the Samajwadi Party must publicly condemn the statements and expel the leader responsible.
"Why is the Samajwadi Party not disowning him? SP should immediately denounce his remarks and remove him from the party," he asserted.
Issuing a direct challenge, Adityanath said, "Either call him to a public gathering and make him clarify or send him to Uttar Pradesh. We do not take long to deal with such people here."
The chief minister slammed the Samajwadi Party, accusing it of glorifying Aurangzeb while disregarding India's cultural and spiritual heritage.
"It is unfortunate that the Samajwadi Party considers Aurangzeb as its ideal. Even Aurangzeb's father, Shah Jahan, wrote in his autobiography that he wished no one would ever have such a wretched son," Adityanath said in the Legislative Council.
His scathing attack comes amid an ongoing controversy in Maharashtra over Azmi's remarks.
Azmi was on Wednesday suspended from the Maharashtra Assembly till the end of the ongoing Budget Session over his remarks eulogising Mughal emperor Aurangzeb.
The chief minister criticized the Samajwadi Party's deviation from the principles of socialist leader Dr Ram Manohar Lohia, who upheld India's cultural unity despite being a political rival of the Congress.
"I want to tell my friends in the Samajwadi Party --even if you do not take pride in India's heritage, at least follow the ideology of the leader whose name you use for political gain," Adityanath said.
Quoting Dr Lohia, Adityanath added, "Lohia believed that India stands on three pillars -- Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva. As long as Indians revere these great figures, no power in the world can stop India from remaining India." The chief minister alleged the Samajwadi Party's purpose now seems to be to oppose India's cultural traditions.
"Today the Samajwadi Party has strayed so far from Lohia's ideology that attacking the legacies of Lord Ram, Lord Krishna and Lord Shiva has become its primary goal," he said.
Referring to Aurangzeb's reign, the chief minister said, "Aurangzeb imprisoned his own father Shah Jahan in Agra Fort, depriving him of water and left him to suffer."
"If the Samajwadi Party feels proud of Aurangzeb, they should visit a library in Patna and read Shah Jahan's autobiography where he laments that even a Hindu son is better than Aurangzeb because a Hindu serves his elderly parents in their lifetime, performs their last rites with devotion, and offers water for their souls. Meanwhile, Aurangzeb left his own father to die of thirst," Adityanath said.
"No civilized Muslim today names their son Aurangzeb because they know that a person's deeds define them. 'Yatha naam tatha kaam' (as the name, so the deed)," he added.
Demanding the Samajwadi Party to clarify its position, the chief minister asked why it venerates a ruler, who imposed jizya tax, persecuted non-Muslims and attempted to Islamize India.
"The SP must answer whether it truly considers a tyrant like Aurangzeb its role model, a ruler who attacked India's faith and traditions," Adityanath said.
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Punjab: Blast near army cantt area in Amritsar, hours after explosion in Jalandhar
Chandigarh (PTI): An explosion occurred near the army cantonment area in Khasa late Tuesday night in Punjab's Amritsar, the second such incident which took place around three hours after a blast outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar.
According to the police, an investigation into both blast incidents is currently underway, and no injuries have been reported.
The first explosion happened around 8 pm in Jalandhar, while the second blast occurred at approximately 11 pm in Amritsar.
Amritsar (Rural) Senior Superintendent of Police Suhail Mir Qasim stated that police received reports of a loud sound at around 11 pm on a road in Khasa. "Our teams arrived on the scene immediately," he said.
Preliminary inspections indicated that someone had thrown an explosive device towards the boundary wall, leading to the explosion, according to the SSP.
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Police mentioned that a piece of a tin sheet covering the boundary wall had fallen as a result of the blast.
Following the explosion, a team of forensic and bomb disposal squad visited the site to collect samples.
Amritsar Rural Superintendent of Police Aditya S. Warrier, who also visited the scene, confirmed that further investigations are ongoing. Police added that a team of army officials also assessed the situation, after which the area was cordoned off.
CCTV footage from the vicinity shows the explosion occurring at night. A local villager reported that his family was awakened by the loud sound and came outside their home to see what had happened.
Before the Amritsar explosion, a blast took place outside the headquarters of the Border Security Force's Punjab Frontier in Jalandhar district around 8 pm on Tuesday, causing panic in the area.
CCTV footage captured the explosion, which resulted in a cloud of smoke. An unidentified man was seen running for cover following the blast.
The blast ripped apart a scooter, damaged a traffic signal pole and windowpanes of a nearby shop. Locals recounted that the scooter, which was parked outside the BSF headquarters, Punjab Frontier, caught fire shortly after a loud sound. It belonged to Gurpreet Singh, who regularly delivers parcels in the area.
Talking to reporters on Tuesday night, one of Gurpreet's relatives said that the scooter caught fire as he was approaching it. He immediately called his father and informed him about the incident.
Jalandhar Police Commissioner Dhanpreet Kaur confirmed to reporters late Tuesday that an Activa scooter parked near the gate caught fire suddenly. She stated that Gurpreet is fully cooperating with the investigation.
Witnesses nearby reported hearing a loud sound following the explosion.
On April 27, an explosion occurred at a freight corridor rail track in Shambhu in Patiala. Police had arrested four members of a pro-Khalistan terror module, backed by Pakistan's ISI, for the blast.
In light of these incidents, opposition parties have condemned the AAP government for its handling of the situation.
Shiromani Akali Dal (SAD) President Sukhbir Singh Badal criticised Chief Minister Bhagwant Mann, who also holds the home portfolio, over the recent blasts.
"Three blasts in 10 days, two in a single day, May 5: Jalandhar outside BSF headquarters and Sri Amritsar Sahib Army area, April 27: Rajpura rail track. Continued intelligence failures and the collapse of law and order are a matter of grave concern. Chief Minister @BhagwantMann, who is also the state Home Minister, is busy with mimicry and cheap politics. He has forfeited the right to remain in office," Badal said in a post on X.
Punjab Congress chief Amrinder Singh Raja Warring also slammed the Mann government over the two blasts.
"Back-to-back blasts have shaken Punjab. Yesterday in Jalandhar, and now near Khasa Camp in Amritsar, this is deeply alarming. Who is trying to destabilise our state? Why has the Punjab Government failed to prevent such incidents? What is the Government of India doing? Repeated lapses point to a serious breakdown of intelligence and security. Punjab's peace cannot be compromised. We demand accountability and immediate action," Warring said in a post on X.
