Stressing that the government was bound by democratic norms, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Monday urged the Hindu seers to show patience on the issue of construction of a Ram temple in Ayodhya.
Addressing a "sant sammelan" (seers' meet) in Ayodhya, Adityanath said, "We live in the biggest democracy of the world and in this system, the judiciary, the executive and the legislature have their own roles. We have to keep in mind those norms.
"Maryaada Purshottam Ram is the master of this universe. When his benevolence will be there, the temple in Ayodhya will be built. There is no doubt in this...Then why is there doubt among the seers? You have been patient till now. I feel you will have to exercise patience for some more time. It is optimism that the entire world rests on."
Stating that Lord Ram symbolised "maryada" (dignity) and the seers were his representatives in the society, he said all problems needed to be resolved while staying within the ambit of that dignity.
In a veiled attack on the Congress, the BJP leader said, "On one hand, a senior leader had submitted in the Supreme Court that the hearing in the Ramjanmabhoomi-Babri Masjid issue should be held after the 2019 Lok Sabha election, while on the other hand, some Congress leaders are saying the BJP is doing nothing on the Ram temple issue. Is it not the case that when the issue is heading towards a solution, these people are hatching other conspiracies?"
On Ayodhya, the chief minister said, "Ayodhya has been ignored for years. We had forgotten our pilgrimage place. There was no effort to keep the place clean and it did not even have the basic facilities. No effort was made to give it a global recognition. We had organised a grand celebration to give it a global recognition and also made basic facilities available here."
Stating that in the upcoming "Deepotsav" programme in Ayodhya, the head of state of South Korea will be invited, he said, "Almost 2,000 years ago, Ayodhya's princess had married the prince of South Korea and since then, there is an emotional relationship between the two places."
Adityanath also blamed the previous governments at the Centre for not doing enough to get a global recognition for the "Kumbh Mela". "In the past, efforts were made to present a distorted picture of the Kumbh. But thanks to Prime Minister Narendra Modi, it has got an international recognition. All the seers should bless Modi," he said.
(PTI)
