U’khand, UP leading India’s resurgence through development & heritage: Yogi Adityanath

my uttarakhand news Bureau
Haridwar, 6 Feb: UP Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath visited Haridwar today to participate in the idol installation ceremony at the Samadhi Sthal of Satyamitranand Giri Maharaj. Addressing the gathering on this occasion, Yogi Adityanath described Uttarakhand as a sacred Devbhoomi and said that the Char Dham shrines form the bedrock of India’s spiritual consciousness. Adityanath also noted that Uttarakhand is moving forward on a path that blends development with heritage, reflecting the wide-ranging transformations witnessed across the country over the past 11 years. The UP CM underlined that collective efforts are being undertaken to realise the vision of Ek Bharat, Shreshtha Bharat.
Adityanath asserted a new chapter of development is unfolding from Ayodhya, Kashi, Mathura and Prayagraj in UP and from Kedarpuri, Badrinath Dham and Haridwar in Uttarakhand, while simultaneously preserving cultural heritage. He asserted that India is not merely a geographical entity but the result of the penance and spiritual legacy of the country’s spiritual tradition. India, he said, is not the creation of any political power but represents a philosophy of life in which culture transcends the narrow boundaries of faith. He added that India was not formed on any particular date or by a single authority, but that Sanatan represents the natural and continuous flow of India’s consciousness.

Adityanath further stated that religion never weakens on its own but is deliberately weakened and asserted that history shows that any nation which ignores its civilisation and culture cannot strengthen its present nor secure its future. Describing Vedic India as the symbol of a self-reliant civilisation, he said it was built on the penance of sages, the hard work of farmers and the creativity of artisans. He pointed out that nearly 2,000 years ago India accounted for 44 per cent of the global economy and even 400 years ago its share stood at 25 per cent, driven largely by these sections. He expressed concern that in recent times there has been excessive dependence on governance, with artisans pushed to the margins and farmers reduced merely to taxpayers.
Emphasising that the concept of Gram Swaraj is not an empty slogan, Adityanath called for the empowerment of villages and farmers. He described the villages as the foundation of the nation. He said India’s growing recognition on the global stage is rooted in a renewed appreciation of its heritage and noted that the country is moving steadily towards becoming the world’s third-largest economy. Referring to UP, he remarked that the state is not just a province but the focal point of India’s soul. He recalled a period when heritage was derided in UP and that the devotees of Lord Ram were fired upon, and asserted that such acts amounted to an insult to India’s civilisational legacy rather than to some people alone. He described that phase as one marked by anarchy and riots, but added that the situation has now changed significantly with the restoration of respect for heritage.
As a result, UP has emerged as the second-largest economy in the country, strengthened further by the construction of the Lord Ram Temple in Ayodhya after 500 years. Adityanath said that Badrinath, Kedarnath, Kashi and Ayodhya are not merely pilgrimage centres but are the hubs of national consciousness from which the nation derives its strength. He stressed that these centres of faith must be developed with dignity and in harmony with their historical and cultural heritage.
Defence Minister Rajnath Singh, Union Minister Manohar Lal Khattar, Uttarakhand CM Pushkar Singh Dhami and Assembly Speaker Ritu Khanduri Bhushan were also present on the occasion.
Earlier in the day, CM Dhami welcomed Rajnath Singh, Yogi Adityanath and Manohar Lal Khattar on their arrival at Jolly Grant Airport in Dehradun and held informal discussions with them at the airport itself, before proceeding to Haridwar.