BJP govt will ensure there is no demographic change in Sambhal: UP deputy CM

Lucknow, Aug 30 (PTI) Uttar Pradesh Deputy Chief Minister Brajesh Pathak on Saturday said the BJP government will ensure that there is no demographic change in Sambhal and said that he will discuss the judicial commission report on the November 2024 violence in the town after it is presented to the state cabinet.

"The investigation report has not been made public yet. We will take it to the cabinet, after which we will send it forward for further action. Then we will talk about it," Pathak told reporters on Saturday.

On Friday, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the judicial commission report confirmed a conspiracy for riots in the town, asserting that there's no place for any demographic shift in the state.

Pathak, however, insisted that his comments have nothing to do with the report.

"Prime Minister Narendra Modi and Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath constantly bring up that some gangs, at the behest of foreign powers, try to change the demography in UP and other states as part of an organised campaign.

"Our commitment is to take everyone along. We will not let demographic change under any circumstances," he said.

He said the issue of demography change in Sambhal has been discussed long before 2024, even before the Independence.

"There was a riot in Sambhal in 1924. Many Hindu families were killed. At the time, Mahatma Gandhi asked Jawaharlal Nehru to visit the place. Jawaharlal Nehru visited (Sambhal) on September 8-10, 1924 and on September 12, a 13-page report was submitted to Mahatma Gandhi," the deputy chief minister said.

Pathak claimed that Nehru, in his report, said that a Harihar temple, built by Prithviraj Chauhan, was converted it into a mosque by Babar. This historical document shows that the suffering of Hindus in Sambhal did not happen suddenly, he said.

The deputy CM added that as per religious texts, Lord Kalki is going to be reincarnated in the town, "so every Indian has unwavering faith in Sambhal".

In a dig at parties that are now in the opposition, he said governments that "appeased and divided society" allowed the population balance to deteriorate.

"No action was taken on it (by other governments). But now the situation has changed. Our government will maintain law and order in Sambhal and the entire state," the BJP leader said.

Between 2012 to 2017, appeasement politics was very high under the Akhilesh Yadav government.

"Under the leadership of Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, our government is strengthening law and order. After the Sambhal violence, more than 68 mythological sites and 19 ancient wells have been freed from encroachment and restored to their shape.

"Seventy-three hectares of land has been freed by removing 1,067 encroachments in Sambhal. Thirty-seven illegal encroachments were also removed from mosques, shrines, madrassas and graveyards. The government will not tolerate any illegal occupation," he said.

A three-member judicial panel on Thursday met the chief minister and submitted its report on the violence that erupted near the Shahi Jama Masjid on November 24, 2024, during an ASI-monitored survey of the mosque, claiming four lives and injuring several others.

Sources claimed the document flags a sharp demographic shift in Sambhal, a plot to target Hindus, and the role of radical groups and outside rioters in the unrest.

Samajwadi Party president Yadav criticised the ruling BJP, calling the narrative of "exodus propaganda" a major failure of the government.

He said the "propaganda of exodus" being spread by BJP leaders and their associates is "the biggest failure of the government and shows its inability to bring harmony to society due to its politics of "hatred and communalism". PTI ZIR/NAV SKY SKY