Krishna asked for five villages to be given to the Pandavas, but Hindus seek just three centres of faith linked to three deities, CM Yogi Adityanath said on Wednesday as Kashi, Mathura and mythology resonated in the UP assembly. Yogi’s statement is the first known instance of a front-ranking BJP functionary publicly endorsing the demand for temples at disputed sites in Mathura and Varanasi.
The CM also quoted from Ramdhari Singh Dinkar’s poem ‘Krishna Ki Chetavani’, part of the book ‘Rashmirathi’, to buttress his point days after a Varanasi court allowed the worship of Shringar Gauri and other Hindu deities to resume in the southern cellar of Gyanvapi Masjid. ASI said this week that the Keshavdev temple in Mathura was demolished for the construction of a mosque.
Injustice was done to Ayodhya. When I talk about injustice, we remember something that happened 5,000 years ago… For past many years, (Hindu) society has been talking about only three places. These are special places where our gods were reincarnated themselves, Yogi said. Invoking the episode from Mahabharat where Duryodhana’s stubborn refusal to cede five villages to the Pandavas led to war, the CM said, Here, too, there is rigidity. And when rigidity is laced with politics and efforts are made to turn it into vote-bank politics, then disputes arise.
Yogi Adityanath said this was the first time that common faith is being disrespected and the majority population is pleading. Alluding to the Jan 31 order allowing a family of priests from resuming puja inside a Gyanvapi cellar, he said, When people saw the festivities in Ayodhya (on Jan 22), Nandi Baba (Lord Shiva’s aide) also wondered why he should wait. The barricades were removed overnight. Aur hamare Krishna Kanhaiya kahan maanne wale hain (And, why would Krishna Kanhaiyya relent)?
Yogi, who was responding to the governor’s address at the budget session, also harked back to how Ram Lalla’s consecration in Ayodhya came after 500 years of waiting. This is the first instance in the world of a deity having to produce evidence of his existence. But this teaches us perseverance. We were happy not only because Ram found his place but also because we kept our word. Mandir wahin banaya.
Yogi said the country would no longer sing paeans to plunderers. He targeted the opposition, especially Samajwadi Party and its chief Akhilesh Yadav, for their stand on the Ram temple. He likened Ayodhya’s plight before BJP came to govt in UP to the struggles depicted in the ancient scriptures. We agree that the temple dispute was in the court but the roads there could have been widened. Ghats could have been revived. Electricity could have been supplied. Sanitation could have been ensured. Better healthcare facilities could have been provided. An airport could have been built, he said.
Citing governor Anandi Ben Patel’s remark that the country was witnessing ‘Ram Rajya’ taking shape, the CM said, I will say firmly that the country will accept only Ram Rajya’s principles, not that of samajwad (socialism). We should be proud of our legacy… Samajwad is now a mirage. The samajwad you (SP) conceptualised has become unnatural and impractical. The state has suffered from family socialism.
