With a resolve to restore the pristine glory of Ayodhya, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the negative talks about Ayodhya should end and “we should strive to bring ‘Ram Rajya’ in Uttar Pradesh where everyone will have the basic necessities of life”.
“The city like Ayodhya, which gave Diwali to India, lies in a state of neglect because previous Governments never wanted to talk about Ayodhya. Why this negativityIJ This should end. The time has come to take Ayodhya on the path of development and revive the positive atmosphere associated with this Holy City,” Yogi said while addressing people in Ram Katha Park in Ayodhya.
He said previously there was “Ravan Rajya” and the then Governments talked about only appeasement and providing benefits to people of particular caste, creed and religion. The present Government has taken a resolve to bring “Ram Rajya” where everyone — belonging to any caste and religion — have a house, electricity and enjoy other basic necessities of life, Yogi said.
The UP CM also celebrated Deepotsava at the ghats of the Saryu. He along with local denizens of Ayodhya lighted 1.87 lakh diyas giving a shot at the Guinness World Record.
In his almost 35-minute speech, Yogi spoke about Ram Rajya time and again but refrained from talking about Ram Mandir. He spoke a number of times about negativity associated with Ayodhya but did not elaborate what actually he meant by this negativity. Yogi said that his Government will respect the feelings of people (bhawanao ka samaan hoga) but did not explain what he meant by “bhawana”— whether this means construction of the Ram temple.
However, he began his speech with the chant of “Jai Sri Ram” and ended the speech with same chant as the crowd roared in unison.
Yogi spoke about Ram lila being performed by the artists of different countries like Indonesia, Thailand and Sri lanka, saying they treat lord Ram as their ancestor. He asked why we in India question one if he talks about lord Ram. “This is a matter of pride for us that lord Ram belonged to this area and everyone here is linked with Maryada Purshottam. This is our heritage and we should protect it,” he said.
On the day when nation celebrated “Chhoti Diwali”, Yogi gave a big gift of projects worth Rs 133 crore, which includes building parks, roads and providing basic amenities in Ayodhya.
“Today every person in Ayodhya has lighted a diya. This is in memory of return of lord Ram from 14 years of Banvaas. This happened in Treta Yug and now we are replicating the same event in Kaliyug. Thus, a beginning has been made to take Ayodhya from the negative shade to positive shade and soon this holy city will emerge as a centre of religious tourism,” Yogi said.
He talked about bringing Kashi, Vrindavan, Shakumbari Devi, Naimisaryana and other places of historical importance under tourism map.
“This is the Government which is striving to work for the development of Uttar Pradesh. These area will be developed as tourism hub and once we do that the youth will get employment that will bring economic prosperity in this region,” he said. “Under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s dynamic leadership we will provide houses to all by 2022 and every house will have toilet by 2019. This is bringing Ram Yajya in true sense,” he added.
Governor Ram Naik, Union Ministers Mahesh Sharma and KJ Alfonse also spoke on this occasion.
Earlier, The CM received Ram, lakshman and Sita as they reached the venue in a chopper which showered flowers over the crowd reminding people of Rs pushp varsha’ the inimitable tale that goes with Ramayana. later, the CM participated in aarti of Rs Saryu’ river where he talked about protecting rivers as these are the lifelines of the civilization.