Yogi Adityanath in Delhi: Those who attack kanwariyas will have to face bullets, says UP CM at Badarpur rally

Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath, addressing a poll rally in Delhi on Sunday, said that those who attack kanwariyas (devotees of Lord Shiva) will have to face bullets. NDTV quoted Adityanath as saying, “We do not obstruct anyone’s festival or faith. Let everyone celebrate festivals within the framework of the law. But if anyone opens fire at devotees of Lord Shiva, causes riots…If they don’t listen to talks, they will surely listen to bullets.” [caption id=“attachment_7992631” align=“alignleft” width=“380”]  Yogi Adityanath addressing a rally in Delhi. Image courtesy: Twitter/@ANI[/caption] Adityanath is the third BJP leader in recent days to talk about using bullets against people, after Union minister Anurag Thakur and MP Parvesh Verma . Kanwariyas are Lord Shiva devotees who walk to the river Ganga once a year in the month of Shravan. In recent years, there have been several reports of clashes between kanwariyas and local people. For example, in August 2018, a group of kanwariyas vandalised a car in Delhi’s Moti Nagar after it allegedly brushed past one of them, as per a report in Economic Times.

The Uttar Pradesh chief minister, in his rally on Sunday, also termed the Shaheen Bagh protest a “malicious attempt to disturb peace and normal life”. “When Article 370 was abrogated, pain was felt by Pakistan and Arvind Kejriwal,” Adityanath said, addressing a rally in south Delhi’s Badarpur. Adityanath said in the Delhi elections, on one side there is the leadership of Narendra Modi for development and nationalism, on the other, there is the Congress and Kejriwal who “support divisive forces”. “The BJP is working with zero tolerance towards terrorism. But Kejriwal is busy sponsoring and offering biryani in Shaheen Bagh,” he said. With inputs from PTI