BJP has Muslim ministers too, not against any religion: CM Yogi

He also explained his '80 versus 20' remark in recent election speeches

Ahead of the first phase of state Assembly polls, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said the BJP is not against any particular religion but opposes appeasement politics.

"There is a Muslim minister in my cabinet. There is a Muslim minister in the Union Cabinet. Arif Mohammad Khan is serving as the Governor in Kerala. We are not focused on faces, but on development, harmony and ‘Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas’. We are not against any religion. We are against anti-national forces," Adityanath told News18 after filing nomination papers from the Gorakhpur Assembly seat.

“Secularism does not mean opposing Hinduism, secularism does not mean appeasement,” he added.

Explaining his “80 versus 20” remark in recent election speeches, Adityanath said it refers to the ratio of people who want growth and security versus “people who want riots, goonda raj and corruption”.

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Known for his firebrand speeches on communal issues, the Chief Minister had sparked a row with his statement that the elections in the state will be '80 per cent versus 20 per cent', in a veiled reference to the percentage of the Muslim population in the country.

“The 80 are people who have benefitted from our schemes, those who want development, economic growth, women’s safety and farmers’ welfare. The other 20 are those whose criminal activities have been hit hard by our government’s policies,” he told the publication.

The first phase of polling for the state assembly is on February 10.

(With agency inputs)

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