LUCKNOW: Challenging the country’s largest minority community to accept that Lord Ram was their ancestor, Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath, on Tuesday, sought to know if Muslims would ever be able to acknowledge that their ancestors were Lord Ram devotees.
Citing the example of Indonesian President Prabowo Subianto, the Republic Day chief guest, who during his visit to India claimed that his DNA was Indian and that Lord Ram was considered an ancestor in Indonesia, the largest Muslim country in the world.
CM Yogi was responding to bevy of questions at a private TV channel’s conclave, here, on Tuesday. Highlighting Indonesia’s strong cultural ties to India, noting that despite being a Muslim-majority country, Indonesia honours its Indian heritage, with traditions like Ramlila, a national airline named Garuda, and Lord Ganapati featured on its currency.
“Indonesia is the world’s largest Muslim-majority country. They take pride in their Indian DNA and ancestry considering Lord Ram as their ancestor, their national airline is named after Garuda, the vahan (carriage) of Lord Vishnu, Lord Ganapati is part of their currency and Ramlila is their national festival,” said the CM.
He added that the Indonesian President's name is inspired by Sanskrit asking: "Would a significant portion of India’s population, often viewed only as a 'vote bank,' accept Lord Ram as their ancestor, despite getting benefitted from the land and its resources?"
The CM shared his views on several issues, including the rights of minorities, electricity theft, the Waqf Act, appeasement politics, and preparations for Mahakumbh-2025.
On the changes to the Waqf Act, CM Yogi said that the proposed amendments were a necessity of the times. “It will be implemented in the next session.” He said that the goal of such changes was to ensure transparency and justice in society. "Just as the Citizenship Amendment Act (CAA) was implemented to benefit minorities of neighbouring countries, the amended Waqf Bill will also be enforced," he remarked.
CM Yogi pointed out the discrepancies in Waqf land claims in Uttar Pradesh. “Waqf has no land of its own; it’s all revenue land. Waqf had claimed 1.27 lakh properties in the state, but upon investigation, only 7,000 were found to be valid,” he claimed.
Yogi stressed that public property belonged to the Revenue Department and should serve public or administrative purposes.
Addressing the ongoing dispute surrounding the Shahi Jama Masjid in Sambhal, he asserted the significance of historical evidence in ancient scriptures. He referred to mentions of Sambhal in Puranas and Ain-e-Akbari, stating that the latter records how Mir Baqi demolished a temple dedicated to Lord Vishnu’s Harihar form to construct the mosque.
“We are not looking for temples everywhere, but where historical evidence exists, it is important to bring the truth to light,” CM Yogi said.
Responding to remarks by AIMIM leader Asaduddin Owaisi, the Chief Minister pointed out that Indian scriptures offer clear evidence of the significance of Sambhal. “The Puranas, written over 3,500 to 5,000 years ago, mention the place of Lord Vishnu’s 10th incarnation in future. Islam came into existence only 1,400 years ago, and we have no issue with it. However, the historical facts cannot be ignored,” he added.
“The excavations reveal evidence of an ancient city mentioned in the Puranas. These findings align with the traditional beliefs of the people. If such truths are emerging, I believe everyone should have the courage to accept them,” he remarked.
Taking a strong stance on electricity theft in Sambhal, the Chief Minister highlighted its adverse impact on the state's power sector. He said that Sambhal, with a population of just three lakhs, incurred electricity theft worth Rs 200 crore monthly. Temporary substations were even set up atop mosques to facilitate the theft.