Mathura, Sep 3 (IANS) Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday asserted that the “real transformation” in the state is that it has been “free of curfews and riots” for more than nine years now, and that celebration of festivals is now the identity of the state.
CM Adityanath is on a two-day visit to Mathura to mark the Janmashtami festival. He inaugurated and laid the foundation stone for several development projects with a combined value of around Rs 1,051 crore.
Addressing a gathering, the Chief Minister described how the tradition and culture of the state have survived despite the attacks on various Hindu temples by foreign invaders.
“First, foreign invaders destroyed our history and historical symbols, followed by the British. But the previous regimes crossed all limits,” he said while mentioning that the period before 2017 was a difficult time for the people of Mathura.
Invoking the 2016 Mathura Jawahar Bagh clash, CM Adityanath said: “29 people were killed in the incident. What kind of anarchy was it? Two police officials also lost their lives in that. In such a situation, how could the people of the state think about celebrating festivals or about development?”
“India’s history is that of struggle, protection and redevelopment and most importantly it is the history of Sanatan’s continuity. Mathura is the biggest example of this,” he said.
Referring to the attacks by foreign invaders on Keshav Dev Mandir, situated within the premises of Krishna Janmasthan Temple, CM Yogi questioned: “Were they able to wipe off the memories of Lord Krishna or (his chief consort) Radha or did people stop celebrating the Janmashtami festival?…No, this is our Sanatan Dharma and the power of Brijbhoomi.”
Mentioning that the Kashi Vishwanath Temple was also demolished by Aurangzeb, he said: “but the tradition never stopped”, as Lokmata Ahilyabai Holkar played a major role in its reconstruction.
“Similarly, in Ayodhya, in the year 1528, Babur demolished the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram in Shri Ayodhya Dham and constructed a structure of slavery there,” he said while asserting that despite this, festivals and Hindu traditions continued to be celebrated in the temple town, “giving birth to a new enthusiasm of struggle”.
“As a result, today the grand temple of Lord Shri Ram has been constructed in Shri Ayodhya Dham. Shri Ayodhya Dham is once again evoking the memory of the Treta Yuga,” he said.
The UP CM said that under Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s leadership, a new aspect has been added, which is to preserve heritage along with working towards development, “faith along with economy; tradition along with modernisation”.
He further said: “Whether in Mathura, Vrindavan, Kashi, Ayodhya, Vindhyachal, Chitrakoot, Sarnath and other religious places, we are working towards the cultural and spiritual development of the next generation.”
CM Adityanath mentioned that in 2025, 156 crore tourists visited Uttar Pradesh, calling it a “proof of a changing Uttar Pradesh, of better connectivity, of strong law and order, also proof of world-class infrastructure”.
Maintaining that devotees, tourists and investors will come into the state only when they feel safe, with proper law-and-order in place, he emphasised: “Today Uttar Pradesh is free of violence and riots. This is the reason for grand Kawar Yatras taking place today.”
Targeting the previous Samajwadi Party government, he said: “The previous governments used to bow down before those who caused violence. Rioters were felicitated at the CM residence…the Muzaffarnagar riots took place for a long time; Aligarh, Meerut and Lucknow all witnessed riots. “
“But now, Uttar Pradesh has been free of curfews as well as riots for the past nine and a half years. Today, festivals have become the identity of the state,” he asserted.
CM Adityanath claimed that this is the “real transformation” of the state.
–IANS
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