Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has hit out at Congress chief Rahul Gandhi over his spree of temple visits and said that those calling themselves "accidental Hindus" have now started revealing their gotra.

Addressing the crowd after inaugurating the Samrasta Kumbh in Ayodhya, Yogi said, "We have endorsed the Kumbh mela across the world and it has become a trademark. This is why some people have started to mention their gotra now who used to call themselves "accidental Hindus". This is our ideological victory. If we make a new gotra like Rahul Gandhi then the downfall is going to happen."

"Kumbh is the biggest gathering of people where no discrimination is done on the basis of caste, gender or religion. However in a news report it has been called an event which is anti-women and harms the environment. There are people who make their opinion through social media. When Ramayana and Mahabharata was written, Google didn't exist. Therefore whatever is written in these ancient epics is true. Kumbh is a medium to unite people and showcase our culture," the chief minister added.

Adityanath also spoke about the Sabrimala verdict and said those who approached the Supreme Court have never been to temples. He also said that it's because of international conspiracy we lived like slaves before Independence and everyone needs to be careful against such forces.

Towards the end of his speech, the CM said saints who were predecessors of Dalits created compositions about the Vedas. "The valmikis told us about Ramayana but they are being discriminated now," he said.

The chief minister was earlier embroiled in a controversy for calling Lord Hanuman a Dalit during the election campaign in Rajasthan.