Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath launched a sharp attack on the Congress while addressing a Partition Horrors Remembrance Day programme in Lucknow, urging the younger generation to learn from the painful events of 1947 and never repeat the mistake of allowing society to be divided. He said India's identity must remain rooted in national unity, with every citizen seeing themselves first as an Indian. Speaking about the Partition of India, Yogi Adityanath described the events of 1947 as one of the darkest chapters in the history of humanity. He said millions of people were displaced from their ancestral homes and countless innocent lives were lost as the country was divided.
Addressing the youth, the Chief Minister said those attempting to mislead the younger generation should be questioned about the historical circumstances that led to Partition. He also referred to recent political and social developments while criticising those whom he accused of remaining silent on important issues. "Those who are trying to mislead the youth today, tell them this. These are the same people whose ancestors brought this tragedy upon the country. These are the same people. If you want to see their character, you saw it during the CAA protests and also during the recent incident in Bangladesh. Their silence during elections also puts them in the dock again," Yogi said.
He then appealed to young Indians not to repeat the divisions of the past. "You too should not repeat those mistakes. The mistake that we once made by dividing ourselves. Our individual identity can be associated with our personal identity, our relationships and our family connections. But we should have one identity, and that is as an Indian. As a duty-bound citizen of India, it becomes our collective responsibility to preserve that identity. We must move forward with that identity," he added.
Yogi asks why Partition happened and who was responsible
CM Yogi said Partition Horrors Remembrance Day should not be treated merely as an occasion to remember a historical event. According to him, the day should encourage people to examine the reasons behind Partition and draw lessons from the consequences. He raised questions about why the crisis emerged, who was responsible for it and how many of those responsible were ever punished. He also questioned how long India would continue to bear the consequences of the Partition.
"This day is not merely a day of remembrance. It is not simply about turning the pages of history. It also inspires us to learn from those dark chapters of history. Merely remembering the problem will not solve it. Why did this problem arise? Because of whom did it arise? How many of those responsible were punished? And how long will the country continue to pay the price? These questions still stand firmly before all of us," the Chief Minister said.
'India continues to pay the price of Partition'
The Chief Minister argued that the consequences of Partition did not end in 1947 and claimed that India continues to bear its impact. He linked the country's subsequent security challenges to the legacy of Partition, referring to terrorism, Naxalism, Maoism and extremism as manifestations of problems that have continued to affect Indians.
CM Yogi also questioned what he described as silence surrounding the circumstances that preceded Partition. He accused some political groups of presenting themselves as the sole architects of India's development despite what he called their historical failures.
Yogi recalls CAA protests and attacks Congress
The Chief Minister also revisited the controversy surrounding the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA), saying he was surprised by the opposition to the legislation when it was introduced by Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government. CM Yogi said the law covered persecuted members of Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi and Christian communities from Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh who had sought refuge in India and met the prescribed eligibility conditions.
"I was shocked when Prime Minister Modi brought the Citizenship Amendment Act. There was no justification for opposing the Act. But the provision of the Act was that in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Bangladesh, which are the three parts that were once part of undivided India and whose heritage has been connected for thousands of years, if a Hindu, Sikh, Jain, Buddhist, Parsi or Christian was expelled from these countries and had been living in India for five years, they would be granted Indian citizenship," Yogi said.
He questioned the basis of the protests against the law and said the legislation did not contain any provision to take away land from Muslims or political parties. "There was nothing in it about taking away a Muslim's land, Congress's land or Samajwadi Party's land. There was no such provision in the Act," he said.
Lucknow, Kanpur and other UP cities saw protests
CM Yogi also recalled the protests that erupted in several parts of Uttar Pradesh following the passage of the CAA. He alleged that attempts were made to trigger violence in Lucknow and several other cities, including Kanpur, Meerut, Sambhal, Aligarh, Bulandshahr, Muzaffarnagar and Saharanpur. The Chief Minister credited what he described as the "double-engine government" and the people of Uttar Pradesh for ensuring that the situation remained under control.
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