Lashing out at the people protesting against the new citizenship law, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday alleged that those who support terrorists in Kashmir were staging protest in Shaheen Bagh and raising slogans of 'azadi'.
Addressing a series of rallies in the national capital, Adityanath also said that "their ancestors divided India", so they have a grouse against this emerging 'Ek Bharat, Shrestha Bharat', and slammed the AAP government, saying it "supplies biryani" to protesters in Shaheen Bagh.
"(Delhi CM Arvind) Kejriwal cannot even provide clean drinking water to the people of Delhi... According to a (BIS) survey, the Delhi government is making its people drink poisonous water. But it is supplying biryani to those protesting in Shaheen Bagh and elsewhere in the city," he said.
Hundreds of people, including women and children, have been protesting in Shaheen Bagh since December 15 against the amended law and the National Register of Citizens. They say the citizenship law is discriminatory and fear it targets Muslims.
At a rally in support of BJP candidate Vijender Gupta in Rohini, Adityanath claimed Mahatma Gandhi had said India should provide citizenship to Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, Parsis and Christians fleeing atrocities in Pakistan, and "therefore, it (the citizenship law) should be welcomed".
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"Those who supported terrorists in Kashmir have come and sat on a dharna in Shaheen Bagh against the CAA and are raising slogans of 'azadi'," Adityanath said.
"You should understand what they want, what they think about India, where are they taking it. If they indulge in rioting or arson...In Uttar Pradesh, I told the administration to make them pay for the damages and we seized their property," the firebrand BJP leader said.
In December, Adityanath declared that his government would recover losses due to violence during protests against the law by seizing the properties of those involved in vandalism.
The UP CM also said that since Narendra Modi became the prime minister, "we have been identifying every terrorist and feeding them 'goli' instead of biryani".
"Let Kashmir remain in peace ... If you will speak the language of Pakistan, in favour of Pakistan, the soldier's gun will show you the way to hell," he said.
At another rally in Karawal Nagar Chowk in east Delhi, he again slammed the anti-CAA protesters, saying "their ancestors divided India, so they have a grouse against this emerging 'Ek Bharat Shrestha Bharat'."
"These protests at various places in Delhi are not about CAA, it is happening because those people are questioning how can India emerge as a major power in the world, and to stop that rising India," he claimed.
During the Delhi assembly poll campaign, BJP leaders, including Amit Shah, have been urging people to vote for their party to show their disapproval for the ongoing anti-CAA protest in Shaheen Bagh.
On Thursday, the Election Commission banned Union minister Anurag Thakur and BJP MP Parvesh Verma from campaigning for 72 and 96 hours, respectively, in view of their provocative comments at an election rally in the city earlier this week.
The EC has also ordered their removal from BJP's list of star campaigners.
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