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Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Wednesday said the transformation of Ayodhya is proof of "double-engine government delivering on its promise" and asserted that a similar transformation must also happen in Kashi and Mathura.
Participating in the eighth edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya - the first since the consecration of Ram temple on January 22, Adityanath said, "This is a historic first as after 500 years, Lord Ram is now in his abode in Ayodhya for Diwali."
"This is just the beginning and this beginning has to reach its logical conclusion. So by 2047, when the country celebrates 100 years of its independence, Kashi and Mathura must also shine like Ayodhya," he said.
"The double engine government has delivered on its promise (construction of Ram temple) and now is the turn of Ayodhya to prove itself. Remember, this 'agnipariksha' of Maa Sita should not happen again and again. "We have to come out of this (bane)... People of Ayodhya must come forward once again (for this). This is why we are here today for this grand celebration," the CM said in his address while hitting out at the opposition for "becoming barriers" in the government's growth agenda.
"Just like mafias, these barriers would also be eliminated," he said.
His 'agnipariksha' remark, made in a choked voice, was interpreted as an appeal to the people of Ayodhya to ensure that the surprising defeat of BJP candidate in Faizabad Lok Sabha seat in the 2024 polls was not repeated in the yet-to-be-announced bypoll to Milkipur assembly seat which fell vacant after Samajwadi Party's Awadhesh Prasad was elected Faizabad MP.
Adityanath said Ayodhya's transformation was part of Prime Minister Narendra Modi's vision for development of the heritage of Sanatan Dharma and taking them to the global stage.
"On January 22 this year, after 500 years of wait, Lord Ram Lalla was once again enshrined at his birthplace, sending a message to the oppressed and troubled world that one should never stray from their path as this approach would surely lead to success," the CM said.
He said this was a moment to remember all those souls who had dedicated their lives for the Ram Janmabhoomi movement.
"I bow to all those saints on this occasion, and to the martyrs, around 3,50,000 in number, who laid down their lives with one wish as they left this world: that, no matter the cost, even at the price of their sacrifice, a temple for Lord Ram must be built on the soil of Ayodhya," Adityanath said.
"Their vow has been fulfilled... Ram Lalla has returned to reside in Ayodhya Dham," he added.
"Earlier, we used to say that we deliver on what we promise. This double-engine government does exactly that. For Ayodhya alone, where there was no regular electricity before 2017, projects worth Rs 31,000 crore have either been completed or are progressing at a rapid pace.
"There is much more to be done. This is just the beginning. Ayodhya is the starting point for Sanatan Dharma, translating Prime Minister Modi's vision of heritage and development into reality on the ground, and taking that mission to the global stage," Adityanath said.
"Today, Kashi (Varanasi) is shining. The world is witnessing the grandeur and divinity of Kashi," he said, adding that the government was determined to make Ayodhya one of the most beautiful cities in the world.
The reference to Mathura and Kashi was significant as the two Hindu religious places are locked in legal disputes and court cases over ownership and control of temples and religious sites.
Referring to the first edition of Deepotsav in 2017, Adityanath said, "When we started, this Ram Katha Mandap was small. Back then there was just one slogan 'Yogi ji ek kaam karo, mandir ka nirman karo (Yogi ji do one thing, help construct the temple)."
"...we are grateful to Prime Minister Narendra Modi for his farsightedness due to which even in the midst of Covid scare, the PM arrived in Ayodhya on August 5, 2020 to lay the foundation stone of Ram temple where the consecration ceremony was performed on January 22, 2024 by the PM," he said.
"While we delivered on our promises, we all have witnessed the black deeds of those responsible for Ayodhya and its Saryu river soaked in blood," Adityanath said while appealing to the people to ensure that Maa Sita doesn't have to give "agnikpariksha" again.
"People of Ayodhya will have to ensure that the place gets the grandeur of the past," he told the public during the Deepotsav event at Ramkatha Park.
Lashing out at the opposition, he said, "Those who question the Sanatan Dharma from time to time must know that Sanatan is eternal, timeless and all-embracing. But those who do politics in the name of secularism question Sanatan Dharma and in the process want to encourage terrorism...Those who become barriers in the path of development would face the same fate as that of the mafia. We shall not rest without ending obstacles in the path of Sanatan Dharma."
After lighting the lamps for Deepotsav, Adityanath said Sanatan Dharma has harmed no one and embraced everyone.
He said some people questioned not only Lord Ram but also Sanatan, adding that was akin to questioning "our heritage and ancestors".
Union tourism and culture minister Gajendra Singh Shekhawat, Deputy CM Brajesh Pathak, UP ministers Suryapratap Shahi, Swatantra Dev Singh, Jaiveer Singh, Satish Chandra Sharma, MLA Ved Prakash Gupta, and many revered saints and officials of Ayodhya were present on the occasion.