Partition a dark chapter born out of Congress' appeasement politics: Yogi Adityanath
Addressing an event in Lucknow on Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, the CM credited Prime Minister Narendra Modi with reviving this forgotten history by dedicating the day in 2021.
'Today, the entire country is mourning, remembering the horrors of August 14, 1947,' he said.
Paying homage to the victims of Partition, the CM announced that the Uttar Pradesh government will provide land leases and full rehabilitation to eligible families under the Citizen Amendment Act (CAA). 'We are committed to protecting their rights and ensuring their dignity,' he said.
Inaugurating an exhibition depicting the Partition violence through digital archives, rare photographs, newspaper clippings, state records, and preserved belongings of displaced families, the CM urged people to draw lessons from history.
While revolutionaries willingly embraced martyrdom for India's freedom, the Congress divided the nation in its greed for power, he alleged, adding that the party's policies led to the ethnic cleansing of Hindus, Sikhs, and Buddhists from places like Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi, and Multan in West Pakistan.
'The violence claimed 15–20 lakh lives and displaced crores, marking one of the darkest episodes in history,' he added.
He accused the then Congress government of showing complete apathy towards the displaced. 'No memorials were built, no museums established for Hindus, Sikhs, Buddhists, Jains, and Christians who were forced to leave their ancestral homes. Their suffering was erased from the public memory,' he said.
The CM praised PM Modi for granting citizenship and rehabilitation rights to refugees through the CAA, noting that — for the first time — displaced people in Jammu & Kashmir and other regions received citizenship and began contributing to India's development. 'The Congress never made any sincere effort for their rehabilitation,' he claimed.
Emphasising the importance of connecting the younger generation with history, Adityanath said the exhibition portrayed the grim reality of Partition — massacres, riots, and forced migration.
Later, he also held a 'silent foot march'.
At that time those in power deceived the public by portraying Partition as merely an administrative decision, he said. 'Partition was a moral and humanitarian crime, which the Congress carried out under its policy of appeasement.
'Partition gave birth to a monster like Pakistan, which even today is involved in various conspiracies to harm Hindustan,' he remarked. The Congress, he said, portrayed India's Partition as if it were the division of property between two brothers.
The state government has been preparing a comprehensive relief package for those who were deprived of citizenship during Partition, the CM said, adding that the process of land allocation for families in districts like Bijnor, Pilibhit, Lakhimpur Kheri, and Rampur has already begun.
Supporting the CAA, Adityanath said they are committed to giving respect and citizenship to refugees who came from Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Afghanistan after Partition.
Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathakwere also present on the occasion.
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