Ram Temple the ‘national temple’ of new India: Yogi

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday hailed Ayodhya Ram Temple as the “national temple”, even as he accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of dividing society on caste and religious lines.

Adityanath was addressing the ‘Viksit Bharat Sankalp Conference’ at the Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay Auditorium here.

He said the collective efforts of 140 crore Indians under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership enabled the country to achieve “historic milestones,” including the removal of colonial-era symbols and the construction of the Ram Temple. According to a press statement, the chief minister said the Ram Temple was more than a shrine dedicated to Ram Lalla, and is the “national temple of a magnificent and new India.”

Adityanath alleged that the Congress and the SP worked for their own families’ interests.

“Ask Congress what is most important to it, and it will name the Gandhi family. Ask the Samajwadi Party, and it will place the Saifai family above all else,” he said. The chief minister said the BJP’s politics was guided by the principle of “Nation First” and prioritises national security, prosperity and cultural heritage.

Adityanath said Bundelkhand is no longer a symbol of backwardness.

He said the dream of a developed India could only be realised when every district, village and town of Uttar Pradesh becomes self-reliant and developed.

Projects such as the Defence Manufacturing Corridor, expressways, medical colleges, pharma parks and new employment opportunities have transformed Bundelkhand, he claimed. “Bundelkhand is no longer a symbol of backwardness and is emerging as a new model of development,” the chief minister said.

Before the event, Adityanath paid floral tributes to Sangh ideologues Pandit Deendayal Upadhyay and Syama Prasad Mookerjee. He said Modi’s slogan of “Sabka Saath, Sabka Vikas, Sabka Vishwas and Sabka Prayas” helped India emerge as the world’s fastest-growing major economy. On law and order in Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said the mafia that had created an atmosphere of fear and insecurity during previous governments had either had its backbone broken or had been “reduced to dust.”