New Delhi: Addressing the News 18 Rising India Summit on Saturday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said if secularism meant not taking sides, then there was "nobody more secular" than the nation's Hindu majority.
"There is a difference between secular and irreligious. We should make that distinction. Government must be secular, not irreligious. If secularism means not taking sides, there is nobody more secular than Hindus. Today's secularists have turned secularism to mean abusing India's traditions," he said.
Speaking at a session titled 'The Monk Who Took On A New Mantle', Yogi asserted that there haven't been any riots during his time as Chief Minister over the last one year. However, when questioned on how he would explain the recent Kasganj riots, the CM said, "Kasganj was not a riot, it was an incident. There was no curfew. No riots have happened in the last one year. Holi fell on a Friday this year. On my appeal, Muslim clerics extended the time for Friday prayers."
Yogi also spoke about why he decided to review his stance on separate statehood for Poorvanchal, or Eastern UP, and said, "I had raised the issue of a separate state of Poorvanchal but when I look at the religious demography of the state it would remain safe under one state."
Speaking on Sri Sri Ravi Shankar's efforts to mediate the Ayodhya dispute, he said, "Any initiative for a good cause is not bad. But the Ram Janmabhoomi issue has had many initiatives. Dialogue is the best way to solve an issue… I support positive steps in this direction. I believe the court’s decision will come soon."
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