Ayodhya
Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath today hit out at the Opposition for criticising the grand Diwali celebrations which took place in the temple town of Ayodhya on Wednesday.
Adityanath said that ‘no one possessed the right to question his faith’.
“This is my personal faith and how can opposition interfere in this?” Adityanath said.
The Chief Minister asserted that another reason why he came to Ayodhya was to check the security and other preparedness for thousands of devotees who thronged the temple town on Diwali.
“As the Chief Minister of the state, it is my duty and I am committed to development of every place of the state,” he added.
After offering prayers at a temple in Ayodhya, Adityanath said he had also come to Ayodhya to pray for peace, security and welfare of the state.
Adityanath offered prayer at Hanumangarhi Temple, Sugreev Temple and Ram Janam Bhumi in Ayodhya.
Uttar Pradesh Governor Ram Naik was also present at the event.
The three-day “Deepotsav” celebrations were launched on a mega scale, with the Chief Minister welcoming actors playing the Lord Ram, Sita and Lakshman, amid a record 1.75 lakh “diya” or lamps.
The actors, who were to portray the mythical homecoming of Lord Ram — on which Diwali is centred — had arrived on a chopper and proceeded to the pink-lit banks of river Sarayu. The stage where the programe was held was built near the site where a mosque built by Mughal Emperor Babar once stood.
The mosque had been razed in December 1992 by pro-Hindu activists who believed it had been built on the ruins of a temple that marked the birthplace of Lord Ram, triggering one of the most divisive rows in recent times. Critics had speculated that the event provides for great optics for any strategy to consolidate the Hindu vote ahead of the 2019 national election.
The opposition Congress had responded reacted with barbs.
“It is a good thing that such huge numbers of earthen lamps were lit… I hope the Chief Minister also invited Muslims from all across the nation to these celebrations,” senior Congress leader Salman Khurshid had said.