UP CM Adityanath marks Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, blames Congress policies for 1947 tragedy

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday blamed the Congress leadership's "lust for power and appeasement" for the Partition, calling it a tragedy that tore apart 'Sanatan' India.

Adityanath on Thursday attended the Partition Horrors Remembrance Day programme here. He was accompanied by Deputy Chief Ministers Keshav Prasad Maurya and Brajesh Pathak, state ministers Swatantra Dev Singh and Ravindra Jaiswal, and BJP state president Bhupendra Singh Chaudhary.

Addressing the gathering, Adityanath said the entire country is recalling the "horrific upheaval" of August 14, 1947, an observance that Prime Minister Narendra Modi initiated in 2021 to connect the present generation with its history.

He said that after centuries of colonial rule, India achieved Independence in 1947 through countless sacrifices, including revolutionaries being executed and freedom fighters enduring inhuman treatment.

"But just a day before the nation attained freedom, the Congress leadership, driven by lust for power and appeasement, orchestrated the unfortunate partition of the country," he alleged.

According to Adityanath, this division severed two arms of a "Sanatan and ancient India" to create Pakistan, "a hostile neighbour designed to perpetually trouble India." He termed it astonishing that on August 14, 1947 -- as Pakistan was being formed --  the violence that erupted due to Congress' appeasement policy became one of the worst atrocities in world history.

The chief minister said that in what was then West Pakistan, cities like Lahore, Karachi, Rawalpindi and Multan were made Hindu- and Sikh-free through a targeted campaign, the result of Congress leadership's policies.

Millions were displaced, and an estimated 15-20 lakh people were massacred in both West and East Pakistan, he said.

Adityanath alleged that the then government provided no relief package, rehabilitation plan, or solid arrangements for granting citizenship to Hindus, Buddhists, Sikhs, Christians, and Jains forced to flee their homes.

Nor did they establish memorials or museums to honour the victims of partition, he added.

He expressed gratitude to Prime Minister Modi for designating August 14 as Partition Horrors Remembrance Day, calling it a step that not only salves the wounds of affected families but also educates a new generation about history.

Adityanath said it was for the first time that refugees from West Pakistan, who arrived in 1947 and settled in Jammu and Kashmir and other parts of India, were granted citizenship through the Citizenship Amendment Act, a move initiated by Modi.