Amit Shah says not first incident in a big country like India

Hitting out at the Congress for demanding Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath's resignation, BJP national president Amit Shah said in a big country such as India, there have been many such incidents in the past.

"Congress ka kaam hai isteefa maangna. Itne bade desh mein bahut saare haadse hue, pehli baar aisa haadsa nahi hua hai. (It is Congress's job to ask for resignation. In a big country like India, there have been many such incidents in the past. This is not the first time)," said Shah.

On Yogi Adityanath's directive to the state authorities to celebrate Janmashtami in a "grand" way, he said the festival will be celebrated in UP in the same manner it is done in rest of the country. "apni jagah hai,jaise desh mein hogi, waise UP mein logon ke personal belief ke aadhar par hogi, yeh govt festival nahi," Shah said.

Earlier today, as the state mourns the deaths of several children, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath directed the state authorities to celebrate Krishna Janmashtami in a "grand" way. In a communique issued late on Sunday to the Director General of Police (DGP) Sulkhan Singh, Adityanath said: "Krishna Janmashtami is an important festival and the police should organise it in a traditional and grand way."