india

Updated: Jun 08, 2019 17:50 IST

Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Friday assured saints in Ayodhya of an early resolution of all problems to pave way for construction of the Ram temple.

“All obstacles in construction of Ram Mandir will be removed soon,” said Adityanath.

He was in Ayodhya to inaugurate the 81st birthday celebrations of Mahant Nritya Gopal Das, head of the Ram Janmabhoomi Nyas and Mahant of the Mani Ram Das Chavni Peeth. The nine-day-long celebrations will end on June 15. This was Adityanath’s first visit to Ayodhya after the Lok Sabha polls. The chief minister also offered prayers at the makeshift Ram temple at the disputed site in Ayodhya and at the Hanumangarhi temple.

Addressing a large gathering of saints during Mahant Nritya Gopal Das’s birthday celebrations, the chief minister said: “Formation of the Modi government at the Centre for the second time after a resounding victory has also paved way for construction of Ram Mandir in Ayodhya.” The saffron-clad sadhus greeted Adityanath’s assurance with chants of ‘Jai Shri Ram’.

The chief minister hit out at the opposition for neglecting Ram. “After Independence in 1947, successive governments have neglected lord Ram,” the chief minister said.

He claimed the original copy of the Constitution included a picture of Lord Ram, in an apparent reference to one of the illustrations in an early manuscript.

“It is for the first time that PM Narendra Modi gave recognition to Ayodhya and all aspects associated with it,” chief minister said. Adityanath also referred to the Deepotsav celebrations in Ayodhya which were started by his government and the renaming of Faizabad district as Ayodhya by his government last year.

He thanked Ayodhya’s seers for their “blessings” that helped the Bharatiya Janata Party get a second term at the Centre.

He went on to talk about the BJP government’s achievements in the past five years, saying that India has gained international recognition in every sector during this time.

“The world will celebrate the International Yoga day on June 21 and the UNESCO has for the first time recognised India’s Kumbh Mela among the Intangible Cultural Heritage of Humanity,” he said.

“Under leadership of PM Modi, India is on way to becoming a superpower. We can ensure peace and harmony only if the country is powerful,” he said.

“At Kumbh (Prayagraj), PM Modi washed feet of sanitation workers and ended all social discrimination. This incident had sent a message to the entire world,” said the CM.

At Hanumangarhi, the chief minister entered the temple premises through the main gate, taking staircases instead of the back gate which most VIPs use.