Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath slammed the Congress-led government in Punjab for creating a new Malerkotla district with Muslim majority population.
“The creation of the new district in Punjab is a reflection of the divisive policy of the Congress. Any distinction based on faith and religion is contrary to the spirit of Indian Constitution. At this time, the formation of Malerkotla district carving it out from Sangrur is indicative of the myopic  policy of the Congress," Yogi Adityanath tweeted in Hindi, a day after Punjab Chief Minister Amarinder Singh made the announcement.
On Friday, the Punjab CM declared Malerkotla as the 23rd district of the state and announced several projects for the development of the historic city, located 131 km from Chandigarh. Malerkotla was carved out of Sangrur district.
Reacting to Yogi’s tweet, Amrinder Singh on Saturday slammed Yogi  Adityanath over his ‘inflammatory’ tweet. In a tweet, the Punjab CM asked his UP counterpart to stay out of Punjab's affairs, which he claimed were in much better shape than those in UP under the divisive and destructive BJP government that has been actively promoting communal discord in the state for the past over four years.
“What does he (Yogi Adityanath) know of Punjab's ethos or the history of Malerkotla, whose relation| with Sikhism and its Gurus was known to every Punjabi ? And what does he understand of the Indian Constitution, which is being brazenly trampled every day by his own government in UP?” Amarinder said in a statement.
Malerkotla was established in 1454 by Sheikh Sadruddin-i-Jahan from Afghanistan, and subsequently  the State of Malerkotla was established in 1657 by Bayazid Khan. It was later merged with other nearby princely states to create Patiala and East Punjab States Union (PEPSU). During the reorganisation of states in 1956, the territory of the former state of Malerkotla became part of the state of Punjab.