‘Ayodhya Ke Baad, Kashi Boli Hum Kyun Peeche…’: Days after court allows Hindu prayers to be performed in Gyanvapi

Days after a Varanasi court allowed Hindus to perform worship in the ‘Vyas Tehkhana’ basement of the Gyanvapi Masjid, Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Aditynath on Wednesday said Kashi does not want to lag behind Ayodhya, where the majestic Ram temple is located Open to the public for months.

Addressing the Uttar Pradesh Assembly, Adityanath said injustice was being done to Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura and questioned the previous Samajwadi Party (SP) and Samajwadi Party (BSP) governments for not developing these Hindu pilgrimages center.

“When I talk about injustice, we think of that 5,000-year-old incident. There was injustice even against the Pandavas at that time… It happened in Ayodhya, Kashi and Mathura Thing… Ayodhya ke bad kashi boli hum kyun peeche. Humare Krishna kanhaiya kahan manane wale hain,” he said.

“Humne kewal 3 jagah mangi. Ayodhya ka utsav logon ne dekha toh Nandi Raja ne bhi kaha hum kahe intzaar karen. Ratri me barricade tudwa dale…Hamare krishna kanhaiya kahan manne wale hain…,” he added.

Adityanath said that after the Rama temple in Ayodhya was opened to the public on January 23, 2.6 million devotees have visited it.

Highlighting the changes in Ayodhya since he took over as UP chief minister in 2017, Adiyanath said: “Humne vachan nibhaya aur mandir wahin banaya…Jo kaha wahi kiya. There was no development in Ayodhya before 2017. No development in Ayodhya What is the mentality behind Tiya, Mathura and Kashi? Ayodhya ke saath Anyay hua. Ram Lala returns home after five thousand years.”

“Gunshots were heard in Ayodhya earlier…Puja was banned…Bhagwan Ram bhakts will be arrested if they travel to Ayodhya. There will no longer be a curfew in Ayodhya. Some people are seeking personal gains , turning Ayodhya into a battlefield. Everyone should visit the Ram Temple,” he added.

The chief minister further said that Uttar Pradesh’s image was in crisis even before 2017, taking a veiled dig at the Samajwadi Party (SP) and the Samajwadi Party (BSP).

“On January 22, 2024, the entire country was overwhelmed. What was the situation in Uttar Pradesh before 2017? The image of UP was in crisis before 2017. Today everyone wants to come to UP,” he said.

A Varanasi court on January 31 said that the Hindu petitioners were allowed to worship in the basement of the “Vyas Tehkhana” of the Gyanvapi Mosque.