Society must unite against love & land jihad: Yogi

Lucknow: Chief minister Yogi Adityanath on Tuesday said that those who have no faith and loyalty towards India and who cannot respect its values and traditions cannot treat India’s land as a ‘dharamshala’.

“Those who betrayed Ram found no place on earth,” Yogi said at the closing ceremony of the nine-day Ramkatha Mahotsav in Lucknow. Ramkatha was narrated by Tulsi Peethadheeshwar Jagadguru Swami Rambhadracharya.

The CM issued stern warning against ‘love jihad’ and ‘land jihad’, stressing that society should unite against such challenges. “Forces that seek to divide people will attempt to create divisions on the basis of caste, language and region, but the saintly traditions of India aim to unite society and take the nation forward,” he said.

Yogi said that seers made the Ram Janmabhoomi movement a matter of life and death. “They never sought credit for it. They participated in the movement because Ram represented the ideal for all within India’s traditions and heritage. The very name of Ram provides solutions to every problem in life,” he said.

He said that except for a few individuals influenced by politics and prejudice, every Indian who carries India’s DNA has embraced the ideals of Ram in life. “The very name of Ram has the power to unite every Indian from north to south and east to west,” he remarked.

“Ram Janmabhoomi movement continued for 491 years. It was in 2019 that the full bench of the Supreme Court gave its judgment that the place where Ram Lalla is enshrined is indeed the birthplace of Shri Ram,” Yogi said.

He added that the spiritual practice of seers was dedicated to national welfare and public good. He noted that Rambhadracharya established India’s first university in Chitrakoot for people with disabilities and serves as its Chancellor. “Given his age, he could have chosen to rest, but he continues to spread the message of Ram for the welfare of the nation,” Yogi said.

He said negative forces emerge in every era, and society’s positive forces should remain united and be prepared to confront them. He said demons also forcibly occupied land. “Society must remain prepared to confront such elements,” he said, adding that the practice of setting up tents on vacant land and claiming possession should come to an end.

He said Maricha and Ravana were born into noble lineages and privileged circumstances, yet they met a bad end because they committed treachery against Ram.

“Whether one worships Shiva or Ram, their ideals should become a part of daily life. People should strive to live according to those ideals and inspire family members to do the same,” he said.