Uttar Pradesh (UP) Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday, 23 November, again used the term 'abba jaan' (beloved father) as a slur, warning of strict action against those who incite people over the Citizenship (Amendment) Act (CAA).
While All India Majlis-e-Ittehad-ul-Muslimeen (AIMIM) leader Asaduddin Owaisi was his main target, it was also in reference to the Muslim community.
Gearing up for the upcoming elections in UP, CM Adityanath said, “I want to warn that person who is invoking feelings in the name of CAA, I want to say to these preachers of 'Abba Jaan' and 'Chacha Jaan' that if they try to do it then the state government knows how to handle it strictly,” news agency ANI reported.
He further added, “Today every person knows that Owaisi is working as a Samajwadi Party agent who wants to incite feelings in the state. Today's government doesn't protect rioters but run bulldozer on their chest.”
Yogi Adityanath was addressing a convention of polling booth-level Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) leaders in Kanpur, also attended by BJP president JP Nadda.
The passing of the CAA on 11 December 2019 saw lakhs of protesters taking to the streets across India to emphatically reject the amended act, calling it “divisive,” “fascist,” and “unconstitutional” as it aimed to provide citizenship based on religion.
Adityanath had sparked a row in September as well by using the Urdu term for 'father', to which netizens had responded with a campaign on Twitter – #HamareAbbaJaan.
The poster for the campaign had said, “It is sad that the CM of Uttar Pradesh thinks that a beautiful word like Abbajaan (beloved father) should be used as a dog whistle. It is an attempt to strip a section of citizens of the dignity and transform lovely words into abuses."
On Tuesday, Adityanath had also claimed that besides the Union government and the state government, only BJP workers were on the street to help people during the COVID-19 pandemic, PTI reported. He also thanked Prime Minister Narendra Modi for launching schemes to provide foodgrain to people.
(With inputs from ANI and PTI.)
(At The Quint, we question everything. Play an active role in shaping our journalism by becoming a member today.)