Samajwadi Party leader ST Hasan has stirred a controversy after he linked the bulldozer action on religious structures with the recent flash floods and cloudbursts in Uttarakhand's Uttarkashi. In a statement, Hasan said bulldozers should not be used in places where the 'almighty is worshipped', and one should let them remain standing.
"It is not just cloud bursts. There are other natural calamities occurring. The reason for this is that our ecosystem has been badly damaged. Our forests are being cut down indiscriminately," he told news agency ANI on Saturday.
"Secondly, we all believe in our creator, whether we are Hindu, Muslim, Sikh or Christian...The places where the Almighty is worshipped, whether it is a mosque, dargah or temple, bulldozers should not be run on them. You may get them vacated, but let them remain standing," he said.
Ally Congress distances itself
Congress and the Samajwadi Party are members of the INDIA bloc, but the grand old party has distanced itself from Hasan's remarks, with party MP Sukhdeo Bhagat saying that the SP leader used a very 'condemnable language'. Speaking to ANI, Bhagat asked Hasan to think about providing relief to the affected people, instead of making such remarks.
Congress MP Imran Masood also slammed Hasan for his statement and said only "mentally disturbed" people make such remarks. "They should fear Allah. They should not say things that spread hatred," he said.
'Communalised a natural tragedy'
The Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) has slammed Hasan for his remarks. Party spokesperson Pradeep Bhandari said Hasan has communalised a natural tragedy, downplayed the sufferings of the victims and insulted the Hindus. "For Samajwadi Party, even death & disaster are filtered through Hindu–Muslim lenses. Shame on Samajwadi Party!" he posted on 'X'.
BJP leader Mukhtar Abbas Naqvi thrashed Hasan's remarks and called him out for giving such absurd arguments. "While the people of the nation are praying for the well-being of those affected, some are busy offering curses," he said.
