Gonda (UP)

Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Saturday cited the construction of the grand Ram temple in Ayodhya as a "power of the double-engine government", and asserted that today a 'Ramdrohi' (traitor of Lord Ram) cannot even enter Ayodhya.

"If you want to witness the power of a 'double-engine' government. The grand temple of Maryada Purushottam Lord Shri Ram in Ayodhya was constructed. A feat was achieved that had never happened in 500 years," Adityanath said while addressing an event in Gonda.

On January 22, 2024, the new Ram Lalla idol was consecrated at the newly constructed temple in Ayodhya amid grand celebrations in the town, with Prime Minister Narendra Modi participating in the rituals.

Adityanath added that the generation over the age of 40 participated in the Ram Temple movement and also experienced the atrocities committed by the governments of that time during the course of the campaign to build the temple.

"Back then, there was a ban on even uttering the name of Ram. Batons were charged and bullets were fired. A devotee of Lord Ram could not even enter Ayodhya...Now, barring a devotee of Lord Ram, a 'Ramdrohi' (traitor of Lord Ram) cannot even enter Ayodhya," Adityanath said.

Yogi Adityanath was speaking at the inauguration and foundation-laying ceremony for 262 projects worth Rs 516 crore in Gonda.

READ MORE: Nagma Mallick builds India's case before the world through quiet diplomacy

Speaking on Maharaj Suheldev, the UP Chief Minister said, "Maharaja Suheldev had inspired us one thousand years ago. Maharaja Suheldev is a source of inspiration for us even today. He symbolises the kind of valour that strikes terror into the hearts of invaders."

Maharaja Suheldev, an icon of the Rajbhar community, had defeated and killed Ghaznavid general Ghazi Syed Salar Masud in a battle on the banks of the Chittora Lake in Bahraich in 1033 AD.