Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Monday that if a Ram devotee from Ayodhya won in this ‘festival of democracy’, it would leave a positive impression; however, if those who fired shots at Ram devotees won, it would send a very negative message.
Addressing a rally organised in favour of Bharatiya Janata Party's mayoral candidate Girish Pati Tripathi at Maniramdas Cantonment, the chief minister said, “Ayodhya is ours, and we also have a collective responsibility towards it. We will take Ayodhya to the pinnacle of development. A strong board must be formed for overall development because Ayodhya is under the spotlight of the nation and the world.”
The chief minister went on to say that when a strong board was constituted, development proceeded quickly. “Today, India is seen differently around the world. The world now looks to Prime Minister (Narendra) Modi at the time of global crisis. In such a situation, we have to associate ourselves with the changing India,” he said.
The chief minister stated that in six years, UP has been successful in changing perception about it. He added that in six years, if he had gone somewhere, he would not have had a positive impression of saints of UP but in today’s world, UP was being respected everywhere, and the saints were getting respect.
The chief minister continued by saying, “We have all continuously participated in the Deepotsav programme since 2017. The prime minister’s presence in the previous year elevated Deepotsav to new heights. Deepotsav takes us toward Tretayug. This year, Ram Navami alone saw 35 lakh pilgrims arrive in Ayodhya. More than one crore devotees will arrive when the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram is finished in January.”
The chief minister said that since Ayodhya was the capital of Suryavanshi, “we are going to turn it into a solar city. Earlier, we formed a municipal corporation in Ayodhya so that it could be developed as a smart and safe city. Then the name of the district and commissionerate was changed. Now the international airport is being built. You will now be able to travel anywhere in the nation or the entire world from Ayodhya. After this election, the work of the survey will start.”
He added: “We are going to start waterways from Ayodhya. Now, large ships are arriving in Kashi. No less water is present in Saryu than in Ganga. It is only necessary to channelise the river's water. This is being worked on, and as a result, tourism and other opportunities will grow.”