Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday said those who had ordered firing on Ram devotees, subjected saints to lathicharge and neglected Ayodhya should visit the Ram temple only after apologising to the devotees and saints, reported PTI.
Adityanath's remarks came hours after the announcement that Samajwadi Party president Akhilesh Yadav would visit the Ram temple in Ayodhya on December 12.
"Those who had neglected and insulted (Ayodhya), who had opened fire on Ram devotees and subjected saints to lathicharge, should certainly come to Ayodhya, but only after apologising. Let them apologise once to Ram devotees and once to the saints. Let them repent for their actions," Adityanath said while addressing the 10th edition of Deepotsav in Ayodhya.
Vice-President C P Radhakrishnan, Uttar Pradesh Governor Anandiben Patel and others were present at the event.
Without naming the Samajwadi Party or Yadav, the chief minister targeted previous governments over their handling of the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, the firing on kar sevaks and what he described as the neglect of Ayodhya. He also appeared to take a swipe at Yadav's recent participation in a religious discourse in the city, questioning the conduct of some political leaders at religious gatherings.
"Those who used to leave the streets of Ayodhya soaked in blood are today unable even to recall their own past," Adityanath said.
He also criticised those who, he alleged, did not understand the decorum of a religious discourse.
"Sometimes I am surprised at these people. When they go to a religious discourse, they do not even know the decorum of a katha (religious narration). Is it a katha or a mushaira (Urdu poetry gathering)? Even this they do not know. We have our own decorum and sacred traditions for religious discourses. But because of their unruly disposition, they disregard the dignity of Lord Ram and the sanctity of the katha, and make an ill-advised attempt to turn it into a mushaira," he said.
Describing Lord Ram as the embodiment of India's national consciousness, culture, values and self-respect, Adityanath said the deity represented the country's life force.
"Look at the scene that has come alive before us today. This is the strength of Lord Ram's consciousness. It is, in fact, the consciousness of India. This is India's culture and its values. Lord Ram is the life force of the Indian nation and, if you may say so, Lord Ram is India's self-respect," he said.
Referring to Ayodhya's place among the seven sacred cities, or Saptapuris, in Hindu scriptures, the chief minister said the city had faced several challenges but devotees, saints, Naga ascetics, Nihang Sikhs and people from different sections of society had continued to resist them.
Recalling the 500 years of foreign rule and the Ram Janmabhoomi movement, he said there had been a time when people doubted whether Ram Lalla would ever be reinstated at his birthplace.
"Today, Ayodhya is once again regaining the glory for which kar sevaks sacrificed their lives and revered saints struggled. The long movement for the Ram Janmabhoomi, under the leadership of Ashok Singhal and the guidance of revered saints, has culminated in Ayodhya, in accordance with the aspirations of its people, under the guidance and leadership of Prime Minister Narendra Modi," he said.
"There was a time when even uttering the name of Shri Ram in Ayodhya invited lathis and bullets. Banning the very name of Ram in this city was a sin. Ayodhya was neglected and almost consigned to oblivion. Today, that very Ayodhya has come alive again, reminding us of the Treta Yuga," he added.
In an apparent attack on the Opposition, Adityanath said those who had once neglected Ayodhya were now witnessing its transformation. He also targeted the Congress without naming it, referring to the legal battle over the Ram Janmabhoomi and attempts in court to question the existence of Lord Ram.
"Those who had assembled an army of lawyers in courts to deny the existence of Lord Ram have at least now acquired the wisdom to accept his existence. This is our ideological victory," he said.
Explaining what he called the "ideological victory", Adityanath said Lord Ram accepted everyone, irrespective of their social background.
"Ram accepts everyone. But if someone comes in the guise of Maricha (the demon who disguised himself as a golden deer to lure Lord Ram away from Sita), he will not be able to escape Ram's arrows," he said.
(With inputs from PTI)
