India's ruling Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) on March 19 swore in Yogi Adityanath, a Hindu cleric, to lead the country's most populous state, Uttar Pradesh, as chief minister, the New York Times reported. Adityanath has openly called for India to be enshrined as a Hindu nation , and supports the rebuilding of a Hindu temple on the site of a razed 16th-century mosque. He has also been repeatedly accused of stirring anti-Muslim sentiments . Adityanath's appointment comes on the heels of Prime Minister Narendra Modi and the BJP's victory in the Uttar Pradesh state elections . The selection of a hard-line Hindu chief minister may suggest that the ruling party credits right-wing Hindu activists for swinging the vote.