Yogi Adityanath slams SBSP chief over 'Partition' comment, says 'supporting Taliban'

Taking a dig at SBSP chief Om Prakash Rajbhar, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Sunday that leaders making remarks on India's partition are "in a way" extending support to the Taliban. The UP chief minister's statement comes days after Om Prakash Rajbhar, chief of the Suheldev Bharatiya Samaj Party (SBSP), an ally of Samajwadi Party (SP), on Thursday, blamed the Rashtriya Swayamsevak Sangh (RSS) for the country's partition.

Additionally, a day before blaming RSS for Partition, Rajbhar had, on Wednesday, explicitly stated that India would have remained unified had Muhammad Ali Jinnah been made the country's first prime minister.

Addressing the Samajik Pratinidhi Sammelan, Chief Minister Adityanath slammed the SBSP president and equated his remarks to supporting the Taliban. He added that supporting the Taliban meant that supporting a power against humanity. 

"Those who are speaking about the partition are in a way extending support to the Taliban. As soon as the Taliban resurfaced in Afghanistan, a number of voices started to come up in its support. When strong action was taken, these voices went soft," said Yogi Adityanath

"Supporting the Taliban means supporting a power that works against humanity, against Lord Buddha's message of 'maitri' (friendship). Certain people are moving in that direction and we need to be aware of them," he added.

The Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister also attacked SBSP ally Samajwadi Party and its chief Akhilesh Yadav who had equated Muhammad Ali Jinnah with Mahatma Gandhi, Vallabhbhai Patel and Jawaharlal Nehru. 

"The opposition does not have any issue to raise.... Rashtranayak (national hero) Sardar Patel is on one side and Jinnah, who divided the country, is on the other. They support Jinnah and insult Patel. But we support Patel. He is a rashtranayak while Jinnah will remain a villain for centuries. Will you support those supporting Jinnah?"

'RSS responsible for India's partition, not Muhammad Ali Jinnah': OP Rajbhar 

The SBSP chief on Thursday attacked the RSS and held it responsible for the country's partition. In addition, he said that partition would not have taken place if Muhammad Ali Jinnah was made the Prime Minister and added that India would have been a big nation and all kinds of problems could have been avoided if Jinnah was made the country's first Prime Minister.

"The RSS is responsible for India's partition, and not Jinnah. The state of the dispute was created by the Sangh," he had said 

(With inputs from PTI)