New Delhi: “Our Sanatan dharma is India’s rashtriya dharma,” said Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath Friday.
After a recent debate about Hindi as India’s national language, the UP CM’s comments suggest that the narrative seems to be shifting to Hinduism being India’s national religion.
हमारा 'सनातन धर्म' भारत का 'राष्ट्रीय धर्म' है… pic.twitter.com/1MCGNHuK3O
— Yogi Adityanath (@myogiadityanath) January 27, 2023
Speaking in Rajasthan’s Jalore at the Neelkanth Mahadev Mandir mahotsav, the chief minister added, “We must rise above our self-interests and selfishness and connect with our rashtriya dharma (Hinduism).”
He added, “Our country must remain secure, and if our temples were destroyed, we must run campaigns to restore them like (we did) in Ayodhya.”
With assembly elections slated in Rajasthan at the end of the year, it seems the Bharatiya Janata Party is already setting the tone for their campaign in the state.
Ayodhya temple being restored after 500 years
Hailing the work to restore the Ram temple in Ayodhya, he added, “With Prime Minister Modi’s hard work, today after 500 years, the Ram temple in Ayodhya is going to be restored.”
The UP chief minister even added that the Ram temple will be a “rashtriya mandir” or a national temple. Adityanath stated that he was pleased that work on the construction of the Ram temple would be over within a year.
The mahotsav to mark the restoration of the Neelkanth mandir has been taking place for 11 days in Jalore. Union Minister of Water Resources Gajendra Singh Shekhawat was also present at the event. Shekhawat and Adityanath also planted a Rudraksha tree at the event.
Adityanath said, “For one to understand the real essence of religion, it is essential to visit Rajasthan.”
The chief minister also added that he was personally invited by Shekhawat in Lucknow. “Therefore, I could not have declined his invitation,” he said. During the speech, the CM also called for the protection of Brahmins and cows in India.
(Edited by Smriti Sinha)
Also read: Return of the Muslim: From Modi ‘sermon’ to Pathaan to Bharat Jodo Yatra