Prayagraj, Jul 20 (IANS): The Akhil Bhartiya Akhara Parishad (ABAP) told poet Munawwar Rana to "start getting prepared to settle down outside Uttar Pradesh" since Yogi Adityanath is all set to become Chief Minister again.

Rana had recently said if Yogi becomes the Chief Minister again, "then I will assume that the state is no longer fit for Muslims to live and I will have to migrate to some other place".

In response, ABAP President Mahant Narendra Giri said: "It seems that Munawwar Rana is playing in the hands of the fundamentalists. During the BJP government in Uttar Pradesh, led by Yogi Adityanath, there has been no riot in the last four and a half years. Whenever there have been other governments in Uttar Pradesh, there have been riots and Muslims have also been unsafe.

"In BJP rule, Muslims are also completely safe in the state, but Rana's statement of leaving Uttar Pradesh if the BJP wins the next Assembly elections and Yogi Adityanath becomes the Chief Minister is ridiculous."

He further added that "from the statement of Rana, it appears that his mental condition is not good".

"Anyone is completely free to go anywhere, and if Munawwar Rana also wants to go to West Bengal, then of course he can. But they should not forget that West Bengal is also a part of India," said Giri.

The ABAP chief further said that "as far as the formation of the next government in Uttar Pradesh is concerned, the next government will also be formed under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath and he will be the next Chief Minister of the state".

However, Giri said that as a poet Rana has a good reputation throughout the country and both Hindus and Muslims respect him.

"But the kind of controversial statements he has been making continuously for the last few days, his image has also been affected. If Rana abandons his controversial statements and returns to the mainstream of nationalism, then he will definitely get the same respect from the people again."