As festive fervour gripped Ayodhya Wednesday during the eighth edition of Deepotsav and the first following the consecration of Ram Temple, Uttar Pradesh CM Yogi Adityanath told the people of the temple town that it is their turn to “prove” themselves.
“Aapse kehne aaya hun. Aapne 2017 ke baad jo bhi kaha woh Ayodhya mein hokar ke raha hai. Aapne 2017 mein kaha tha, Yogi ji ek kaam karo, mandir ka nirman karo. Mandir ka toh nirman ho gaya hai, Ram Lalla virajman ho gaye hain (I have come to tell you that after 2017, whatever you asked for, has been done. You told me in 2017 that Yogi ji do one work, get the Ram Temple constructed. The temple has been constructed and Ram Lalla has been consecrated there),” Adityanath said.
“Ishliye ehsas karane aaya hun… Double Engine ki sarkar ne jo kaha tha, wo karke dikha diya. Ab Ayodhya ki bari hai. Ayodhya ko phir se apne aap ko saabit karne ki bari hai. Ye Maa Sita ki agni pariskha yeh baar baar nahi honi chahiye (That is why I have come to make you realise… Whatever the double engine govenrment had promised, we fulfilled it. Now, it is the turn of Ayodhya. Now Ayodhya has to again prove itself. The trial by fire of Godess Sita should not be taken again and again),” Adityanath said.
His remark comes following his party’s defeat from Faizabad Lok Sabha constituency, where Ayodhya is situated, in the Lok Sabha elections.
The BJP, which had made the inauguration of the Ram Temple in Ayodhya a poll plank in the LS polls, lost the seat to SP.
Notably, the bypoll to the Milkipur Assembly segment in Ayodhya is due. The seat was vacated by SP leader Awadhesh Prasad, who was elected MP from Faizabad Lok Sabha seat.
At the Deepotsav celebrations, Adityanath also targeted the SP, accusing it of “shedding blood of Ram Bhaktas in Ayodhya”.
Claiming that Ayodhya has now the infrastructrure that it never got since Independence, the CM said: “Those who deprived Ayodhya of electricity. Those who made you take bath in rotting water at Ram Ki Paidi are today vouching in the name of Lord Ram. Ayodhya has been turned into first solar city of the country. The city, which did not see airplanes land after Pushpak Viman of Lord Ram landed, has been given international airport with the blessings of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.”
Adityanath said the transformation of Ayodhya is a proof of the “double-engine government delivering on its promise” and asserted that a similar transformation must also happen in Kashi and Mathura by 2047, when India celebrates 100 years of Independence. He also hit out at the Opposition for “becoming barriers” in the government’s growth agenda. “Just like mafia dons, these barriers would also be eliminated,” he said.
Adityanath said Ayodhya’s transformation was “just the beginning” and part of PM Narendra Modi’s vision for the development of the heritage of Sanatan Dharma and taking it to the global stage. “Deepotsav not only strengthens social and national unity through a display of lights, but also symbolizes national solidarity,” he said.