Yogi Adityanath on Monday strongly objected to offering namaz on public roads and stated that the government will not accept the blocking of roads for religious purposes under any circumstances.
The Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh told an audience at an event in Lucknow that public roads are for transportation and daily public movement, not for gatherings of the religious type, which would disrupt traffic or inconvenience people.
"Initially, the state administration tries to make sure, through a dialogue, people comply, by persuasion," Yogi Adityanath noted. However, tougher legal steps would be taken in the event the public defied public order regulations voluntarily, he added.
If Love Does Not Work, Other Measures Will
The chief minister also placed a video of his speech on the social media platform X, where he reaffirmed his government’s stance on the issue. “People who are willing to have namaz need to schedule it in shifts and conduct prayers properly.
We are going to put forth the first explanation and explanation of it with love and understanding. But if persuasion falters, then authorities will need to employ other legal means to ensure rules are being complied with,” he said. He told the reporters that roads were intended for people who are citizens, such as workers, traders, patients, and emergency services.
Blockading roads to accommodate any religious gatherings, he said, disrupts normal life and makes it more difficult for citizens. “No one gets to stop traffic and convert important road intersections into centres for religious congregation,” the Chief Minister said in his remarks.
नमाज पढ़नी है, आप शिफ्ट में पढ़िए...
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) May 18, 2026
प्यार से मानेंगे ठीक है, नहीं मानेंगे तो दूसरा तरीका अपनाएंगे... pic.twitter.com/zDoz6YiqTZ
Roads Are for Public Movement
Yogi Adityanath also said that such incidents were no longer happening in Uttar Pradesh, where the public order regulations were strictly enforced. “Many people wonder if namaz is still offered on UP roads. I make it clear to them that these things are not happening any more in our state. Roads are places for the people. Is anyone going to be able to stand in the middle of the road and create traffic jams?
What right does anybody have to obstruct public movement?” he then asked. He added that "The law applies equally to everyone at any time; there is no right to misuse public places." "We are not stopping anyone from offering namaz. We are only saying it should not happen on roads,” he clarified.
Previous Statements on the Issue
It's not the first time that Yogi Adityanath has spoken against prayers on public roads. The BJP leader has repeatedly raised the issue in political campaigns and public speeches. During the recent election campaign for the West Bengal Assembly, he attacked Mamata Banerjee as head of the All India Trinamool Congress government. He asserted that roads in West Bengal were used for namaz while restricting Hindu festivals.
AIMIM Reacts Strongly
The recent comments of the Chief Minister of Uttar Pradesh were criticised by leaders of All India Majlis-e-Ittehadul Muslimeen, led by Asaduddin Owaisi. AIMIM spokesperson Asim Waqar accused the Uttar Pradesh government of discriminating against citizens based on religion.
He said the same rules were not extended evenly to all religious activities on roads. “If namaz cannot be offered on roads, why are the roads blocked for poojas and aartis?” he said, accusing the enforcement of public order rules of discrimination. "The controversy has been ignited once again by a debate in the public domain for religious participation and an equal interpretation of law between sections."
