Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday, 12 April, said that there is "no tension at all, not even tu tu main main" in the state, despite the Hindu festival of Ram Navami and the holy month of Ramzan coinciding.
His comments came after violence and unrest were reported in several states during the Ram Navami processions.
Adityanath said that this was an indication of UP's new development agenda.
"Ram Navami was just celebrated. A 25-crore population lives in Uttar Pradesh. There were 800 Ram Navami processions across the state, and simultaneously, this is the month of Ramzan, and many roza iftar programmes must have been on. But there was not even any 'tu tu main main' (squabbling) anywhere, forget riots," Yogi Adityanath said during an event in Lucknow on Tuesday.
"This is a symbol of UP's new development agenda. There is no space for riots, lawlessness, or goondagardi anymore," he said.
Ram Navami Violence
Widespread instances of violence, stone pelting, and arson were reported in several states in India on the occasion of Ram Navami on 10 April.
Reports of communal unrest emerged from Khargone and Barwani in Madhya Pradesh, Gujarat, Jharkhand, West Bengal, Goa, Mumbai, and at Jawahar Lal Nehru University in Delhi, where several students were injured.
Yogi Adityanath's comments come at a time when questions have been raised about his government for not taking action against Bajrang Muni, who had threatened to rape and kill Muslim women at the beginning of the Navratri festival on 2 April.
The police has registered a First Information Report (FIR) but is yet to arrest him.
In the video shot at an event in Sitapur district, the priest could be seen addressing a gathering from his car to cheers and chants of 'Jai Shree Ram' by the crowd.
Muni could be heard saying that he would kidnap and rape Muslim women if any Muslim man harassed the women in the area. He also alleged that Rs 28 lakh had been allocated to murder him by Muslims in the area.
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