Team Clarion
NEW DELHI — Uttar Pradesh Chief Minister Yogi Adityanath has ruffled many a feather by claiming that Sanatana Dharma is the national religion of India. “I used the same words earlier also,” he told NDTV’s Editor-in-Chief Sanjay Pugalia in an exclusive interview on Sunday (January 26). The interview was part of the channel’s Maha Kumbh Samvaad.
“Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of India. It is the religion of humanity. The process of worship can be different. But religion is one and that religion is Sanatan Dharma. Kumbh is the representative of that Sanatan Dharma,” added the saffron-clad chief minister, who is also the mahant (head priest) of the Gorakhnath Math, a Hindu monastery in Gorakhpur.
Supporters of Hindutva ideology have understandably welcomed Adityanath’s remarks, but opposition leaders have severely criticised them, arguing that India is a secular nation as per its Constitution. “India is a secular country where all religions are respected. Such statements are divisive and against the constitutional ethos,” said a senior Congress leader.
The Samajwadi Party also accused the BJP of using religion for political gains.
Earlier, addressing a gathering at Asharfi Bhawan Ashram in Ayodhya on December 20 Yogi had said, “The Sanatan Dharma is the national religion of India, and it is the collective responsibility of every citizen to protect it.”
Yogi Adityanath also called Maha Kumbh Mela, which started on January 13 and will continue till February 26, as “Maha Parv” and said that in Makar Sankranti on January 14, nearly six crore devotees took a dip at the Sangam”.
He also called for the protection and promotion of India’s religious and cultural heritage and stressed the importance of Hindu scriptures, temples, and traditions in shaping the identity of the nation.
