Maharashtra Chief Minister Uddhav Thackeray on Tuesday called Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath over reports of the murder of two sadhus (Hindu monks) in Bulandshahar and requested him to take strict action against the culprits.
“I spoke to U.P. CM Yogi Adityanath regarding the incident and expressed deepest concern about the same,” said Mr. Thackeray.
Maharashtra CM added that he informed his counterpart in U.P. about the strict action taken by Maharashtra police and arrests made in an identical incident earlier this month in Palghar.
“I am sure that you will do the same. While we support each other in such times, I am sure that no attempt will be made to communalise the incident,” he added.
Mr Thackeray’s immediate correspondence with Mr. Adityanath is seen as the ‘return favour’ from the latter as the U.P. CM had called Mr. Thackeray after the Palghar incident in which three persons, including two sadhus, were lynched. Mr. Adityanath had expressed his concern over the murder of the monks.
Several right-wing outfits termed it as an attack on Hindu priests and state's Home Minister had to issue statement specifically mentioning that the incident has no communal angle and it was sparked off by rumours.
Several Sena leaders slammed the BJP and its supporters who had sought the resignation of the Maharashtra government over Palghar issue.
“A number of voices which were shouting, seeking justice, demanding resignations seem to have gone mute suddenly. May be their health isn’t well or may be they have locked their mouth. May be they are unaware of today’s news,” said Sena Rajya Sabha MP Priyanka Chaturvedi.
Maharashtra Home Minister Anil Deshmukh said the killing of two sadhus in U.P. is quite distressing. “We trust that U.P. CM will take action as swiftly as we took in the Palghar case. We hope those who made inflammatory communal statements after Palghar will curb such tendencies,” he said.
Maharashtra Congress committee spokesperson Sachin Sawant, while condemining the killing of sadhus, said the forces which defamed Maharashtra government by communalising the Palghar incident have gone silent now. “Will the BJP leaders who demanded resignation of Maharashtra chief minister demand the same of UP chief minister?” asked Mr Sawant.