BJP does not discriminate on caste, religion, says Rajnath Singh

The statement came after Congress member Ranjeet Ranjan expressed concern in Lok Sabha over incidents involving 'anti-Romeo' squads.

New Delhi, Mar 23: The BJP does not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed or religion, Home Minister Rajnath Singh said on Thursday, strongly refuting allegations that certain communities were facing discrimination in Uttar Pradesh.

The statement came after Congress member Ranjeet Ranjan expressed concern in Lok Sabha over incidents involving 'anti-Romeo' squads and alleged discrimination against people of certain communities in the state. The UP government has set up such squads in the police to keep a tab on eve-teasing incidents in the state.

Touching upon the issue during Zero Hour, Ranjan wondered whether it was wrong to fall in love. She also asked whether it was wrong to have a boy friend or a girl friend.

Taking a swipe at the 'anti-Romeo' squads, she wanted to know whether the government would be telling boys and girls on how to sit in parks. In response, Singh, who has also served as Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh, said "the BJP does not discriminate on the basis of caste, creed or religion." Stating that it is only a few days since BJP government has come to power in Uttar Pradesh, he said if there is any specific incident, the government would look into it.

After registering a landslide victory in the polls, BJP government headed by Yogi Adityanath took charge on March 19. Singh also said the Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister has said the focus would be on "sab ka saath, sab ka vikas".

PTI