Adityanath's tweet on Melerkotla attempt to incite communal hatred: Punjab CM Amarinder Singh
Chandigarh, May 15: Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh on Saturday criticised his Uttar Pradesh counterpart Yogi Adityanath over his tweet on the declaration of Malerkotla as a district of the state, terming it is an attempt to incite "communal hatred".
Contrasting the communal harmony in Punjab with the "divisiveness" being promoted by the Yogi Adityanath government in Uttar Pradesh, Singh asked the former to stay out of his state's affairs as they are in much better shape than those in UP.
"Any distinction on the basis of belief and religion is contrary to the basic spirit of the Constitution of India. Presently, the formation of Malerkotla (Punjab) is a reflection of the divisive policy of the Congress," Adityanath had tweeted earlier in Hindi.
The UP chief minister's tweet came a day after the Punjab CM announced the the creation of a new district of Malerkotla, carving the state's only Muslim-majority town from Sangrur district.
"What does he (Yogi Adityanath) know of Punjab's ethos or the history of Malerkotla, whose relationship with Sikhism and its Gurus was known to every Punjabi? And what does he understand of the Indian Constitution, which is being brazenly trampled every day by his own government in UP, asked the Punjab CM in a strong-worded reaction.
Mocking the UP chief minister's comment, Singh said given the Yogi Adityanath government and the BJP's track record of spreading "communal hate", such a remark was utterly ridiculous, apart from being totally unwarranted and uncalled for.
"The whole world knows of the communally divisive policies of the BJP, and particularly the Yogi Adityanath government in UP," he said in a statement here.
Pointing to the "spate of changes in names of various UP cities , including Mughal Sarai to Pandit Deen Dayal Upadhyay Nagar, Allahabad as Prayagraj and Faizabad as Ayodhya, he dubbed it an "attempt by the Yogi government to rewrite history", which the peace-loving people of India will never condone.
Citing media reports, Singh recalled that UP was the first state in the country to approve "love jihad laws, and Yogi Adiyanath's "open hatred" for the Taj Mahal (which he sees as a legacy of the Mughals) has been the subject matter of criticism in international press.
In fact, the UP chief minister is reportedly the founder of Hindu Yuva Vahini, an organisation that was responsible for starting cow vigilantism, which led to lynching of Muslims in his own state, Singh pointed out.
It was obvious that the tweet of the UP government head on Malerkotla was nothing but a provocative gesture aimed at creating "communal hatred" among the communities living in perfect harmony in Punjab, the chief minister said.
He termed it a "conspiracy on the part of the BJP to spread disharmony" in Punjab ahead of the assembly elections, which are just months away.
"But the UP chief minister seems to have forgotten that his own state is also going to the polls at the same time and if the recent panchayat poll results are any indication, the BJP is in for a complete and shocking rout, he quipped.
Adityanath should focus his energies on saving his own state, where the COVID situation is spirally out of control, with bodies of the victims of the pandemic being found dumped in rivers, thus depriving them of even the dignity of a decent cremation/burial, Singh said.
"A chief minister who cannot protect even the basic human rights of his state's people and allows them to be treated with such shocking disrespect has no moral right to continue in office, leave alone comment on the functioning of another state government," the Punjab chief minister added.
Meanwhile, BJP national general secretary Tarun Chugh said the Amarinder government's decision to create Malerkotla as a new district in Punjab was "administratively an imprudent and politically a communal decision".
In a statement, Chugh said at a time when the state was reeling under heavy debt and the economy stood crippled, the decision to create a new district which would involve an added burden of at least Rs 1,000 crore annually on the state exchequer looked purely "imprudent and injudicious" decision.
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KSCA expresses disappointment over missing IPL playoffs, says it was ready to host matches in B’luru
Bengaluru: The Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) has issued a clarification stating that it was fully prepared to host the IPL playoffs and final matches in Bengaluru but the fixtures were allotted to other venues.
In a media note, KSCA said it was disappointed with the decision. The association stated that its president, former India cricketer Venkatesh Prasad, had been in touch with the Board of Control for Cricket in India (BCCI) and had formally conveyed the association’s readiness and interest in hosting the matches at the M. Chinnaswamy Stadium.
KSCA said the IPL matches held in Bengaluru this season were appreciated for smooth conduct, crowd management and overall experience for spectators. It said this reflected its ability to handle high-profile matches.
The association also stated that it had sent a detailed communication to the BCCI explaining its preparedness and the operational arrangements followed during the current IPL season. According to KSCA, these systems have been in place since the start of the Indian Premier League in 2008 and were followed consistently, including during previous playoff matches hosted in Bengaluru.
The clarification added that the communication sent to the BCCI was only meant to provide factual and operational details and to bring clarity on logistical and stakeholder-related requirements involved in hosting such matches.
KSCA said that although it had shown willingness and preparedness, the BCCI has decided to allocate the playoff matches to other venues. It added that the reasons for this decision have not been formally shared with the association, but it respects the authority of the board in taking such decisions.
The association further said it remains ready to host matches of national and international importance and will continue to cooperate with the BCCI, franchises, government authorities and other stakeholders for conducting cricket events.
The statement was issued by KSCA official spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya, who also thanked the media and cricket fans for their continued support.
