Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath on Thursday held a roadshow in Ayodhya and sought people’s support to develop the temple town into the “world’s greatest cultural and spiritual city”. He also assured the priests and traders of Ayodhya that if re-elected, the BJP government would resolve their issues as per their wishes.
“Babaon aur vyapariyon ko ashwast karna chahta hoon ki unki samasya ka samadhan hoga. Wo jo chahenge, vahi hoga. (I want to reassure the priests and traders that all their problems will be resolved. What they want, will be done),” Adityanath said after concluding the two-km long roadshow at Naya Ghat.
The business community of Ayodhya, where a Ram Temple is being constructed, has expressed their unhappiness with the state government’s plan to widen roads as part of the beautification project of the temple town.
In a bid to woo the Brahmins in Ayodhya, Adityanath announced that “most qualified” teachers will be appointed in Sanskrit colleges and schools in the state, and scholarships will be given to the students.
“Those who want to run Sanskrit schools will get grants as well,” the chief minister said as he promised to give tablets and smartphones to Sanskrit school students. “…So that they could connect with technology,” he said.
Adityanath also said that his government would constitute a Purohit Kalyan Board for the welfare of priests and saints.
The BJP is banking on the Brahmin votes in Ayodhya as there is a possibility of the votes getting divided between the BJP and SP, which has fielded a Brahmin candidate. Moreover, the sitting BJP MLA Ved Prakash Gupta is said to be facing anti-incumbency.
Reminding the people of his government’s top priority to Ayodhya, Adityanath said that he visited the temple town “50 times” in the last five years of his chief ministership, and added that he has come again to ensure that BJP wins all the five Assembly seats in Ayodhya. “Main swayam aaya hoon (I have myself come here),” Adityanath said a day before the campaigning ends for the fifth phase.
Ayodhya will vote on Sunday.
The BJP leader also hit out at Samajwadi Party chief Akhilesh Yadav, who is set to visit the temple town on Friday
In Barabanki and Bahraich, Adityanath claimed that the Akhilesh Yadav government did not provide electricity to people on Holi and Diwali, but there was always power on Eid and Muharram.
With PTI inputs from Barabanki and Bahraich
