http://edition.cnn.com/2017/03/21/asia/india-uttar-pradesh-hindu-priest/index.html

India: Priest-turned-politician-turned-state leader raises concerns in Uttar Pradesh

By Manveena Suri, CNN

Updated 1846 GMT (0246 HKT) March 21, 2017

Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh Yogi Adityanath and Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi.

New Delhi (CNN)The appointment of a polarizing Hindu religious leader as the next chief minister of an Indian state with almost 40 million Muslims has raised concerns about the country's direction under the Prime Minister Narendra Modi's Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP).

After BJP swept Uttar Pradesh elections in a landslide last week, taking 75% of available seats, Yogi Adityanath became head of the state's government.

Adityanath is known for his provocative rhetoric against Muslims, including once vowing in a speech about inter-faith marriage that "If the Muslims take away a Hindu girl, we will take away 100 Muslim girls."

Uttar Pradesh is India's most populous state with 204 million people out of which nearly a fifth are Muslim.

Adityanath, 44, is head priest of a Hindu temple in Gorakhpur in Uttar Pradesh's northeast, and five-time member of parliament for the district.

While he is popular with many Hindus, his appointment caught many by surprise, said Shekhar Gupta, a veteran political journalist and former editor of the Indian Express newspaper who currently hosts "Walk the Talk", a political interview talk show on NDTV24x7.

"There was a great degree of polarization in this election," Gupta said. "The Hindu vote is divided on the basis of caste, and the challenge (for BJP) was to try and use faith to reunite what caste has divided."

BJP has defended Adityanath's appointment, with BJP minister and spokesman Venkaiah Naidu saying in a statement that the new chief minister "is a strong politician and committed to (helping) the downtrodden."

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