Hate Watch: UP Dy CM Keshav Prasad Maurya continues spewing anti-Muslim venom

Keshav Prasad Maurya

Deputy Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, Keshav Prasad Maurya has decided to continue his anti-Muslim speeches. This time, he has called Muslims “lungi chaap, jaalidaar topi goondas” and said that before the 2017 Assembly elections, “They were roaming the streets with revolvers in their hands and threatening businessmen.” He asked the crowds to tell him who these “goondas” were, and the public replied “lungiwale”.

“Just remember my words” he said to the eager crowds of BJP supporters.

‘BJP ने लुंगी और जालीदार टोपी वालों से निजात दिलाई है। अब किसी के जमीन पर कब्‍जा नहीं होता, अपहरण नहीं होता है’
: उपमुख्यमंत्री @kpmaurya1 #UPElections2022 pic.twitter.com/D0c1rb1GfF
— News24 (@news24tvchannel) December 3, 2021

This is yet another attempt by the BJP leadership to invent new communal slurs, as they had done in the past with using “Talibani, biryani eaters, miyan, burkhewali” to insult Muslims, and to encourage right-wing cadres to spread the venom further. Maurya, in his latest speech, implied that it was the BJP that “got rid of the lungi and jaalidar topiwalas” when it came to power and “now no one’s land is occupied forcefully, there is no kidnapping, no threats” etc. He asked the people to “to remember this” when they cast their votes in the 2022 Vidhan Sabha elections.

Maurya, according to Jagran’s online edition, said this at the BJP’s Mandal Traders Conference on Friday. Targeting the Samajwadi Party (SP), he said, “Former Chief Minister Akhilesh Yadav is saying that if his government comes, the bulldozers will be returned. That is, what is going to happen, you can assess. Did the BJP bulldoze the constructions by any farmer, common man or trader, no? If BJP’s bulldozer is run then its on illegal construction of mafia. Now houses will be built on the same vacated lands and the poor will get it.”

A few days ago, Maurya had publicly announced that “preparations were underway for the construction of a grand temple in Mathura” along the lines of what was being done in Ayodhya and Varanasi. He said, “A grand temple is being constructed in Ayodhya and Kashi, preparations are on for Mathura next.” Mathura in western UP is revered as the birthplace of Hindu deity Krishna. It is also home to the Shahi Idgah, which is next to the Krishna janmabhoomi (the place where the deity is believed to have been born). It is now his pinned tweet.

अयोध्या काशी भव्य मंदिर निर्माण जारी है
मथुरा की तैयारी है #जय_श्रीराम #जय_शिव_शम्भू #जय_श्री_राधे_कृष्ण
— Keshav Prasad Maurya (@kpmaurya1) December 1, 2021

Interestingly, the event at Prayagraj where Maurya was the chief guest, also had Cabinet Ministers Satish Mahana, Siddharth Nath Singh, Cabinet Minister Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi, Minister of State and Vice President of Business Welfare Board Manish Gupta, State Convener of BJP Business Cell Vineet Sharda Agarwal in attendance.

प्रयागराज में मा0 कैबिनेट मंत्री गण श्री @SidharthNSingh जी व श्री @NandiGuptaBJP जी तथा प्रदेश संयोजक व्यापार प्रकोष्ठ श्री विनीत शारदा अग्रवाल जी एवं वरिष्ठ पार्टी पदाधिकारियों के साथ @BJP4UP व्यापार प्रकोष्ठ द्वारा आयोजित मंडलीय व्यापारी सम्मेलन का शुभारंभ कर संबोधित किया। pic.twitter.com/Tb8zbjruI6
— Keshav Prasad Maurya (@kpmaurya1) December 3, 2021

According to Jagran, the arrival of Deputy Chief Minister Keshav, Cabinet Minister Siddharth Nath Singh and Nand Gopal Gupta Nandi on one platform was also a topic of discussion later. Keshav Prasad Maurya’s attempt to outshine his political seniors is interesting. However, his only strategy so far is to make communal statements.