Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath said on Thursday that socialist icon Ram Manohar Lohia stood firmly for Sanatan Dharma and that today's socialists have strayed from the path shown by him and do not seem to be paying heed to his advice. Addressing devotees at the Gorakhnath temple, the Chief Minister said India cannot move forward without Hinduism's revered deities Ram, Krishna and Shiva and anyone opposing them is bound to face ruin. “Ram Manohar Lohia ji had also said that as long as Indians continue to worship Maryada Purushottam Shri Ram, Leela Purushottam Murli Manohar Shri Krishna and Devadhidev Mahadev Shankar, no force in the world can harm them. But it’s unfortunate that those who claim to follow Lohia's ideology no longer heed his words.” Lohia, a socialist, a freedom fighter and a fierce critic of the Congress, had initiated Ramayana Melas. He stood firmly for Sanatan Dharma, he claimed. Adityanath said when doubts were raised about India’s unity after Independence, Lohia had affirmed that as long as Ram, Krishna and Shiva are worshipped, there can be no disunity. “But today’s so-called socialists have strayed from Lohia’s path—and now even open fire on Ram's devotees,” he said. Referring to the fate of the demon Maricha from epic Ramayana, the CM said despite being born into a noble lineage, Maricha met a tragic end. “Though born a human, he died like an animal — this is the consequence of betraying righteousness,” he added. “Shri Ram, Shri Krishna and Shankar, and the epics associated with them are not just stories — they are symbols of our faith, heritage, and the highest ideals of a civilised culture. It is the duty of every Indian to safeguard and uphold these legacies. Ram, Krishna, and Shiva are living embodiments of Sanatan Dharma,” he said. Calling Sanatan Dharma India's soul, the Chief Minister quoted a Muslim woman lawyer stating they were also Sanatanis and India has only one religion — Sanatan Dharma. He urged people to understand the difference between dharma, sect, and faith. “Sanatan Dharma is not merely a way of worship, but a way of life that embraces various forms of devotion,” he said. “It is untrue to claim Indians failed to preserve their heritage or lacked scientific and modern knowledge. Such claims were made to malign Indians through intellectual deceit. In reality, the Vedas — the world’s most ancient texts — were composed in India when the rest of the world lived in darkness,” he claimed. Referring to some YouTubers’ negative comments during the Maha Kumbh in Prayagraj, the CM said that while devotees walked barefoot in faith, these influencers tried to provoke and mock them. “When they questioned the arrangements, the devotees calmly replied that the very roads they walked on were also a part of the arrangements,” he said.
