If there’s space crunch, offer namaz in shifts, but not on roads

LUCKNOW: UP CM Yogi Adityanath on Monday defended his govt’s ban on offering namaz on roads, saying prayers should be held at designated places of worship and offered “in shifts” if there is a space crunch, rather than by blocking public spaces.Speaking at an event organised by a news daily in Lucknow, Yogi said roads were meant for commuters, patients and working citizens, not religious gatherings, and asserted that the “rule of law will prevail equally for everyone”.He stressed that govt must ensure free movement at all times in a democracy governed by rules and regulations.“People ask whether roadside prayers have stopped in UP. I tell them to come and see for themselves. It simply does not happen anymore,” he said. “We are not stopping anyone from offering prayers, but roads cannot be occupied for it.”Targeting previous govts in UP, Yogi accused them of fostering lawlessness, caste politics and appeasement, and alleged that exam-copying mafias and criminal syndicates flourished under their patronage, creating an “identity crisis” for the state.“Today’s Uttar Pradesh is free from riots and curfews,” Yogi said, crediting decisive governance and law-and-order reforms for the state’s transformation and economic growth.Recalling the Emergency in 1975, Yogi Adityanath praised journalists who, he said, sacrificed to protect democracy. He also warned about fake news and deepfakes, urging media organisations to report more sensitively and avoid sensationalism to prevent law-and-order crises.