Promising to make Ayodhya the Vedic city of ancient times, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said that this city had suffered humiliations for several decades because of the negative thinking of some people but now it would stop and the temple town would get its long lost pride.
“Deepotsav has been celebrated for the last three years. Before that some people were afraid to even utter the name of Ayodhya. Now everything has changed. People want to come to this holy city,” the chief minister said while addressing the state after the symbolic coronation of ‘Shri Ram’ at the Divya Deepotsav held in Ayodhya on Friday.
He said all the facilities of the devotees would be taken care of. “Till a few years ago, governments used to ban religious trips like Panchkoshi, 14-Kokhi and 84-Koshi parikramas while today facilities are being increased here. This is a matter related to our identity,” he said.
Yogi Adityanath said that this moment of Shri Ram coming back from exile was very auspicious. He said Diwali was a festival for every Indian and it symbolised our pride and spiritual peace.
“The Ram temple at Ram Janmabhoomi symbolises our culture. Millions of people have sacrificed their lives for the construction of Ram temple. The wait of five-century is over now. We should be proud that we are living in such a period when the dream of the grand temple of Shri Ram is coming true,” he said.
The chief minister said that Prime Minister Narendra Modi had resolved to embody the concept of Ram Rajya by laying the foundation stone of the Ram temple in the coronavirus period. He said this determination would come true.
“Ram Rajya is a symbol of a society without discrimination. This is the basis of the policies of the Modi government at the Centre. Efforts like Ujjwala Yojana, Saubhagya Yojana, Pradhan Mantri Awas Yojana and construction of toilets are some of the works being done by the government which has helped people of all caste, creed and religion,” he said.
The chief minister said that with concerted efforts under the guidance of the prime minister, “we will be revealing India’s cultural and religious wealth on the world stage”.
He said that efforts were made to connect Fiji, Thailand, Japan and Nepal to Ayodhya on the global stage. “Now an international airport is being built here,” he said.
“While Shri Ram had to suffer a lot when he went on exile, the UP government is now getting the work done to improve facilities on the Ram Van Gaman Path. People will commute between Ayodhya and Chitrakoot in just three-and-half hours,” he said.
The chief minister also highlighted the ongoing and future projects for multi-faceted development of Ayodhya as the air rent with slogans of Jai Shri Ram in an atmosphere full of enthusiasm.
Governor Anandiben Patel, while congratulating the people of the state for the Deepotsav, said Lord Ram was a symbol of Indian identity and appreciated the work being done in the public interest by the Yogi government.
Earlier, Deputy Chief Minister Keshav Prasad Maurya said that he hailed from Shringverpur and described himself as Ram sevak. He termed the celebration of Deepotsav by the chief minister as a reflection of public aspirations.
In the welcome address, Religious Affairs Minister Neelkanth Tiwari, while speaking on the grandeur of the city of Ayodhya, described the beginning of the Deepotsav by the Yogi government as a wonderful effort and said that Ayodhya would be glorified all over the world under the leadership of Yogi Adityanath.