Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Adityanath on Sunday said that if the land where a Ram temple is being built in Ayodhya could be “reclaimed”, India could also take back the Sindh province, which is now in Pakistan.

“After 500 years, a grand temple of Lord Ram is being constructed in Ayodhya,” said the chief minister at a two-day National Sindhi Convention in Lucknow. “Ramlala will again be seated again in his temple by the Prime Minister in January...If Ram Janmabhoomi can be taken back after 500 years, there is no reason why we cannot take back Sindhu.”

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Over 225 delegates from ten countries and ten Indian states took part in the convention, The Indian Express reported.

Further, Adityanath said that there is a need for the Sindhi community to teach the present generation about its history. He said that the community suffered the most during the partition of India and Pakistan.

“The partition of 1947 was tragic,” he said. “It could have been avoided and stopped. Because of one person’s stubbornness, the country had to witness the tragedy of Partition due to which lakhs of people were killed. A large chunk of India’s land became Pakistan.”

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The chief minister added: “But it [Sindhi community] did not create any noise and rose to continue with its journey despite several setbacks.”

Adityanath has referred to the possibility of Pakistani territory being assimilated into India earlier as well. In an interview with ABP News in February, he had claimed that the idea of “Akhand Bharat” would become a reality.

“Akhand Bharat”, a concept espoused by Hindutva nationalists, envisages that neigbouring countries Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Maldives, Myanmar, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka would become part of India.

“Pakistan is not a reality in the spiritual world,” Adityanath had then said. “If something is not reality, the country is fortunate to have even survived for so long. It will be a burden on the earth till it exists. It is in their interest to assimilate into India soon.”