Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Sunday accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of spreading propaganda against Ayodhya, alleging that the development of the temple town and the state's heritage preservation efforts would eventually threaten the political survival of the two opposition parties.
According to a PTI report, while addressing a Diwali programme for the Van Tangiya community at Jungle Tinkonia in Gorakhpur, Adityanath said the opposition parties were uncomfortable with the infrastructure development taking place in Ayodhya and across Uttar Pradesh.
"People are now maligning Ayodhya out of fear. They are spreading propaganda against Ayodhya because they know that if this journey of heritage and development continues in the same manner, the politics of the Samajwadi Party and the Congress will be buried forever," he said.
He further alleged that parties which had once created an identity crisis for Uttar Pradesh would themselves face a similar political crisis if the development drive continued.
During the programme, Adityanath inaugurated and laid the foundation stones for 52 development projects worth more than Rs 82 crore for the Van Tangiya community. He also distributed kits among beneficiaries of various government welfare schemes.
Highlighting the community's conditions before 2017, the chief minister said residents of Van Tangiya villages had been deprived of basic amenities such as roads, electricity, drinking water, ration cards, schools, healthcare facilities, pensions and permanent houses.
He said Uttar Pradesh had 56 Van Tangiya villages whose residents had remained without basic facilities and official recognition for decades.
"Lord Ram returned to Ayodhya after 14 years of exile, and the entire country celebrated Diwali. But first the British, then the Congress and later the Samajwadi Party left you and your ancestors wandering in these forests for more than 100 years," he said.
Claiming that the situation had improved after the BJP came to power in 2017, Adityanath said residents now had access to pucca roads, houses, ration cards, schools and Ayushman Bharat health cards.
Contrasting the BJP-led NDA government with previous administrations, he alleged that earlier governments prioritised their own families over poor and marginalised communities, while the BJP government ensured that welfare schemes reached people without discrimination.
Referring to the Ram temple movement, Adityanath accused the Congress and the Samajwadi Party of opposing the temple's construction and attempting to prevent devotees from visiting Ayodhya. He alleged that the same parties were now targeting the city through propaganda after failing to obstruct its development.
He cited improvements in Ayodhya's infrastructure, including roads, electricity, airport facilities and railway connectivity, as evidence of the changes brought about under the BJP government.
"As a devotee of Lord Ram, we have embraced every forest dweller, every hill dweller, every deprived person and every Dalit. We have made them partners in the work for Ram," he said, adding that such efforts were also a contribution to nation-building.
Adityanath also alleged that before 2017, people were prevented from raising the slogan 'Jai Shri Ram' in Ayodhya and that force was used against them. He claimed opposition leaders had questioned the existence of Lord Ram.
The chief minister urged people to celebrate festivals with enthusiasm while staying away from drugs and gambling. He said the government's next major campaign, following its action against the mafia, would target drug traffickers.
He also asked young people to focus on education, assuring them that the BJP-led double-engine government would work towards providing employment and livelihood opportunities.
(With inputs from PTI)