At a rally in Kushinagar on Sunday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath chastised past governments for their "policy of appeasement," claiming that people who said "abba jaan" used to obtain rations meant for the destitute until 2017. 'Abba Jaan' is a term used to address fathers by mostly Muslims, a community that the UP CM has targeted with divisive statements many times in the past.
In response, many people used #AbbaJaan and HamareAbbaJaan to share photos of their fathers.
My #AbbaJaan was one of the most eminent bankers of our country.
— atiya zaidi (@atiyaz) September 13, 2021
Worked at the highest levels in RBI.
Headed the ACD.
Was instrumental in setting up & heading NABARD
Was financial advisor to the #UP govt
Was Chairman of the Banking Service Recruitment Board
And much more❤️🥺 1/2
Born in 1925,Graduated from AMU ,Teacher by Profession.
— Humayun Hashmi- PMP®, PMI-RMP® (@humayunhashmi) September 13, 2021
"The imprint of a dad will forever remain on his son." "Don't wait until your son is a man to make him great; make him great as a boy."
I love my #HamareAbbaJaan, #AbbaJaan pic.twitter.com/m1qfkcZmKE
We called our nana #AbbaJaan.
— Dr_Syeda Uzma (@Dr_SyedaUzma) September 13, 2021
He was a freedom fighter who was jailed for giving speeches against the British.
Oh, that reminds me Adityanath,
You were also jailed. - for giving speeches against your own countrymen.#HamareAbbaJaan
Yogi Adityanath's use of the word has invited massive criticism from various people, including political parties.
National Conference vice-president Omar Abdullah took to Twitter on Sunday to criticise the UP chief minister's remark.
"I've always maintained the BJP has no intention of fighting any election with an agenda other than blatant communalism & hatred with all the venom directed towards Muslims. Here is a CM seeking re-election claiming that Muslims ate up all the rations meant for Hindus," he said.
Uttar Pradesh Congress spokesperson Ashok Singh said: "The language used by the UP chief minister tarnishes democracy, and it is aimed at dividing the society".
Meanwhile, a petition was filed before a court here on Monday against Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. The petitioner has alleged that the Muslim community, to which he belongs, was insulted by the remarks of the BJP leader.