Hindu hardliner and Gorakhpur MP Yogi Adityanath, who is now the Uttar Pradesh chief minister, minces no words when it comes to speaking his mind. Often, he has sparked off controversies with his comments on several issues. He has been often accused of making hate speeches and communalising issues.

Here are some of the controversial comments Adityanath made in the past:

1."Those who oppose Surya Namaskar should be prepared to leave India"

While participating in a ceremony at a temple in Varanasi in 2015, Yogi said that people who oppose yoga and ‘surya namaskar’ should either leave India or drown themselves in the ocean. He was speaking about the importance and history of yoga when he made the remark.

2."Mother Teresa was part of the conspiracy to Christianise India"

Speaking at a religious meeting at Basti in UP on June 21, 2016, Adityanath accused Mother Teresa of religious conversion and said,"Mother Teresa was part of a conspiracy to convert Hindus to Christianity. Hindus were targeted in the name of doing service and then converted by her. Incidents of Christianisation had led to separatist movements in parts of Northeast, including Arunachal Pradesh, Tripura, Meghalaya and Nagaland."

3.“If they take one Hindu girl, we will take 100 Muslims girls”

The Hindu hardliner in a YouTube video message on August 27, 2014, made a controversial statement. He said that if they take one Hindu girl, we will take 100 Muslim girls. The statement had drawn criticism from many intellectuals and raised many people's eyebrows.

4."I will not stop till I turn UP and India into a Hindu rashtra"

Always known for making pro-Hindu statements, Adityanath made this controversial statement while addressing a gathering at Etah in UP in 2005.

5.“Shah Rukh Khan should remember that if the society boycotts his films, he will also have to wander in the streets like a normal Muslim"

The controversial BJP leader on November 4, 2015, compared Bollywood superstar Shah Rukh Khan with Pakistani terrorist Hafiz Saeed in response to a comment by the actor on intolerance. He said, “Shah Rukh Khan should remember that if the society boycotts his films, he will also have to wander in the streets like a normal Muslim….I am saying these people are speaking in terrorist’ language. I think there is no difference between the language of Shah Rukh Khan and Hafiz Saeed.”