Why is BJP silent on Yogi Adityanath’s vitriolic statements?

BJP's firebrand leader Yogi Adityanath, who is known for his provocative statements, has once again sparked controversy by holding the Muslims in Uttar Pradesh responsible for all the riots that have took place in the state so far.

Well, it seems that the statement has been made ahead of by-polls on 11 assembly seats and one Lok Sabha seats in UP to polarise the votes in the state.

Adityanath in an interview to Rajat Sharma on a programme Aap Ki Adalat on India TV said that there are three categories of places where communal riots occur.

"In places where there are 10 to 20 per cent minorities, stray communal incidents take place. Where there are 20 to 35 per cent of them, serious communal riots take place and where they are more than 35 per cent, there is no place for non-Muslims," the Gorakhpur MP was quoted as saying.

But, what is more shocking is the fact that the sheer reticence of the BJP leadership which has neither distanced itself nor has come up with any clarification on the controversial statement.

Instead, the party gave Adityanath full liberty by entrusting him the party's campaign for the upcoming September 13 by-polls in UP.

A few days back, Adityanath was also seen raising the contentious issue of 'love jihad'. The BJP may have refrained from raising the controversial issue in its executive committee meet in Vrindavan, but Yogi had confirmed that the party would make it an issue in the upcoming elections.

This has given BJP's rivals an opportunity to demand for Yogi's ban from campaigning in the state by-polls.

But as per political experts, BJP's silence and inaction on its firebrand leader's vitriolic speeches is a part of its strategy. With this, the party is sending clear signals that it is not scared of playing communal card in the state to polarise voters.

On the other hand, presence of the Mahant of the Gorakhnath Math, Gorakhpur, in UP's active politics is also suiting BJP's rivals, who were decimated by BJP in the Lok Sabha poll, as they are getting full chances of projecting him as anti-Muslim and a polariser.

Experts are of the view that all this is being done to polarise the voters in the state so that the respective parties gain an edge over the other to win by-polls since winning by-polls in UP has become a matter of pride.

Yogi Adityanath is known for his hardline Hindutva statements but the rival SP and Congress are raking up this issue simply for political gains while the BJP is getting easy publicity without saying anything. Who will gain and who will lose from such political and communal games will be visible after the upcoming by-polls.