PRAYAGRAJ, April 3 -- In a scathing attack on the Waqf Board, Uttar Pradesh chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday said it was acting as a land mafia in Uttar Pradesh, asserting that its arbitrary claims over public and historical sites would no longer be tolerated.

"In the name of Waqf, they had tried to capture the land here in Prayagraj and other cities as well. When we were organising Mahakumbh, the Waqf Board was making arbitrary statements that the land of Kumbh in Prayagraj is also Waqf land. Is it the Waqf Board or the 'Land Mafia' Board?," the CM said.

Speaking at a programme marking Nishadraj Guha Jayanti at Prayagraj's Shringverpur, Yogi also lauded PM Narendra Modi and Union home minister Amit Shah for taking legislative...