Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath. News 18
New Delhi: Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday said that the row over Ramcharitmanas was an attempt to divert the attention of people from the state’s development and nothing else.
In an interview to News 18 Group Editor-in-Chief Rahul Joshi, he said that action has been initiated against those criticising the Hindu sacred text, which he defined as a guidebook for the “unity of society”.
“Ramcharitmanas is highly revered and is worshipped in every home. Only those who don’t know the gravity and importance of it are raising questions against it,” he said.
“Is this can also be a mechanism to galvanise the backward votes? The people of UP have always rejected divisive politics and we have 2014, 2019, 2017, and 2022 as examples,” he said.
“Even if the opposition unites against us as it did in 2019, no one can stop BJP,” he added.
Notably, Samajwadi Party leader Swami Prasad Maurya had spearheaded a campaign against a few offending lines found in the Ramcharitmanas that refer to Dalits and women in a derogatory manner, he had claimed.
Reacting to incidents of the sacred text being burnt in parts of Uttar Pradesh, Adityanath said, “An inquiry has been initiated to nab the accused. Ramcharitmanas is a sacred text and most villages consider it of high importance.”
Adityanath also took a swipe at the Congress party for doing divisive politics in the country.
“Had Rahul Gandhi left behind his negativity, Congress would have benefitted. Divisional politics has been given to India by Congress,” he said.
“Since 1947, division based on caste, religion, language and region, was brought in by Congress itself,” the CM added.
Talking about Ayodhya’s Ram Temple, he said, “The temple is being constructed in a timely manner. It will be a proud day for India when the Ram idol will be installed in the temple. As stated before, people will be able to visit the temple from January 1, 2024.”
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