While his MLA Sangeet Som was spewing venom against the Taj Mahal and its Muslim builders on Monday, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath was stressing on freeing the state from the “politics of caste and appeasement”.

“To make Uttar Pradesh strong, it is essential that we end the kind of politics being practiced here during the past 15 years,” he said.

Speaking at the bhumi pujan ceremony of a GAIL gas terminal and a unit of the Hindustan Fertiliser Corporation Limited in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said, “India can become able and powerful only when UP becomes able and powerful, and for this we need to end the politics of caste and appeasement which has been in practice for the last 15-20 years.

The chief minister is likely to come here again on October 19 to spend Diwali with the Vantangiyas, a community of forest dwellers. Vantangiyas are people, who were brought from Myanmar to plant trees for afforestation during the colonial rule. The community faces problems related to the use of natural forest produce like fruits, honey, wax, wood and leaves to meet their daily needs as the forests inhabited by them are not considered revenue villages.

Conversion of tribal-dominated forest villages to revenue villages under the provisions of the Scheduled Tribes and Other Traditional Forest Dwellers (Recognition of Forest Rights) Act will enable the administration to adopt development measures such as setting up of schools, dispensaries, and other such facilities in these villages.

Officials said the chief minister, who had raised issues concerning Vantangiyas in the Parliament as an MP, will accord revenue village status to 23 hamlets.