#AbbaJaan trends on Twitter after Yogi Adityanath's jibe

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.

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.

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