Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday spoke sharply about law-and-order during the festive season, invoking recent incidents in Bareilly and directly criticizing cleric Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan for what he described as attempts to threaten public order.

Delivering remarks on the state’s approach to festival-time violence and public disruptions, CM Yogi said, “Earlier, whenever the festive season arrived, violence used to begin...Sometimes, people fail to break their bad habits. So, there needs to be 'denting-painting' for them so that we can correct their bad habits. You must have seen this in Bareilly yesterday. Maulana (Maulana Tauqeer Raza Khan) forgot whose government is in power and thought that he could threaten and block roads. We said there would be neither a jam nor curfew. But we will teach you such a lesson that your coming generations will forget rioting.”

The Chief Minister defended the administration’s firm measures, recalling that “After 2017, we did not even let a curfew be imposed but such barriers were spoken to in a language they understand and they were also punished.” He framed the government’s actions as essential to restoring public safety and enabling development, adding, “The growth story of Uttar Pradesh begins here.”