Sanatan Dharma is national religion of Bharat: Yogi Adityanath

Addressing a programme organised on the 350th anniversary of the coronation of Chhatrapati Shivaji in Indore, Madhya Pradesh, the chief minister said, “Those who regard foreign invaders as their masters, there is no place for them in India. People with such distorted mentality do not respect the traditions of Lord Shri Ram, Lord Shri Krishna, Maharana Pratap, Chhatrapati Shivaji and Guru Gobind Singh.”

“Under the leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi, India today is emerging as a superpower in the world. At the same time, there are some people who are making malicious attempts to insult India’s heritage by raising questions about India and Indianness. Even Ravan had tried to attack the reality of God but what was the result? Ravan was destroyed by his ego,” said Adityanath after unveiling a statue of Shivaji on the occasion.

Adityanath said Mughal ruler Babar had tried to demolish the temple of Lord Ram in Ayodhya, but a grand temple is being constructed at Ram Janmabhoomi after 500 years. “Hindu is not a religious word but is a cultural identity of Indians. Unfortunately, some people have tried to bring the Hindu identity within a narrow ambit,” he said.

Udhayanidhi recently sparked a controversy after he claimed Sanatan Dharma is against social justice and that it should be eradicated. A Raja, another DMK leader, likened Sanatan Dharma to diseases such as leprosy.

Amid a political debate over ‘Bharat vs. India’, the UP CM said the country has been addressed as Bharat since ancient times and its citizens have been called “Hindus”.

He said, “When Muslims from India, Pakistan and Bangladesh go to Mecca to perform Haj, they are addressed as Hindus in Saudi Arabia.”

Stating that all Indians should take pride in the country’s traditions and the traditions of Sanatan Dharma, which he said encourages the world to follow the path of human welfare, Adityanath remarked, “This is the symbol of India’s nationalism — a medium to give motivation and showing the path of welfare of humanity to the world.”

The Uttar Pradesh CM said that people who do not like India’s progress and prosperity will try to create hurdles at every step. “In every kaal (era), attempts were made to reject the truth. Did Ravan not try to falsify the truth? Didn’t Hirnyakashyap try to insult God and Sanatan Dharma? Had Kansa not challenged divine authority? Those who challenged divine authority got destroyed themselves,” he said.

“Just as God is truth and eternal, Sanatan Dharma, too, is the truth and is eternal,” Adityanath maintained. “We should always adopt that truth and permanence and move forward with a positive approach.”